How Hackers Use AI Agents to Hijack Your Data — and What You Can Do to Stay Safe

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 Discover how cybercriminals are using AI bots and deepfakes to steal data faster than ever — and learn practical steps you can take to protect your accounts and stay safe online.

Cybercriminals today aren’t just relying on old-school phishing emails and password guessing. They’re now tapping into the power of AI agents and automated bots to launch faster, smarter, and far more dangerous attacks. According to a new report from Gartner, this trend is already reshaping how attacks happen — and it’s about to get worse.

Let’s break down how these AI-driven attacks work, why they’re so effective, and what you can do to protect yourself.

🔒 AI + Account Takeovers: A Dangerous Combo

Account takeovers have always been a major threat, mostly because many people reuse weak passwords across multiple sites. Hackers usually get these credentials through data breaches, malware, or social engineering.

But here’s where AI comes in:

Once cybercriminals get hold of a leaked password, they deploy automated bots powered by AI. These bots try the stolen credentials on dozens — even hundreds — of other platforms to see where else they work. It’s quick, cheap, and frighteningly effective.

As Gartner VP Analyst Jeremy D’Hoinne explains, “Attackers leverage bots to automate a barrage of login attempts across a variety of services, hoping the credentials have been reused.”

This means a single compromised password can now lead to multiple account takeovers in record time. And according to Gartner, AI is expected to cut the time needed to take over an account by 50% within the next two years.

🎭 AI-Generated Deepfakes: The New Face of Social Engineering

Beyond password attacks, AI is fueling another scary trend: deepfakes.

Imagine this: You get a phone call from your “boss,” whose voice sounds exactly like them, asking you to urgently transfer funds or share sensitive files. But it’s not really them — it’s an AI-generated voice built to fool you.

Criminals now combine deepfake audio and video with traditional scams to make them more convincing than ever. While only a few large-scale deepfake scams have made headlines so far, Gartner predicts that by 2028, around 40% of social engineering attacks will target executives and regular employees alike using deepfakes.

Detecting these fake voices and videos in real time is still very challenging — even for experienced security teams.

🛡 How to Fight Back Against AI-Powered Attacks

So what can businesses and individuals do to stay ahead?

✅ Use multi-factor authentication (MFA) and biometrics

Don’t rely on passwords alone. Adding a second layer of security, like an SMS code or fingerprint scan, makes it much harder for hackers to break in — even if they get your password.

✅ Invest in AI-powered security tools

AI isn’t only helping attackers — it can also help defenders. Security tools that use AI can spot suspicious behavior in real time, even detecting new, never-before-seen threats.

Nicole Carignan, SVP for Security & AI Strategy at Darktrace, advises:

“Organizations should integrate machine-driven response to accelerate security team response… solutions with anomaly-based detection can detect and respond to never-before-seen threats.”

✅ Train and educate staff

Awareness is key. Companies should run training sessions that explain what deepfake scams look and sound like, and encourage employees to double-check unusual requests — especially those involving money or sensitive data.

✅ Stay alert for social engineering tricks

Criminals rely on urgency and emotional pressure. Always verify unexpected requests — ideally using a separate communication channel.

⚠ Why This Matters

As cybercriminals get better at using AI, attacks will get faster, more targeted, and more convincing. And it won’t just be big corporations at risk — everyday users could become victims too.

James Scobey, CISO at Keeper Security, sums it up:

“As attackers become more sophisticated, the need for stronger, more dynamic identity verification methods will be vital.”

By combining smart tools with human caution — and keeping up with the latest threats — we can make it much harder for AI-powered scams to succeed.