As AI models continue to evolve, including newer systems such as Claude Mythos, conversations around their impact on cybersecurity are becoming more common.

While headlines can sometimes overstate the risks, the broader reality is that increasingly capable AI tools may also make cyberattacks more sophisticated and accessible.

For UK businesses, this is a reminder that cyber resilience isn’t just an AI issue.

It’s a priority which requires board-level attention.

As AI lowers the barrier of entry for cybercriminals, the baseline for defense must rise too.

AI’s impact on cybercrime

AI has turbocharged the arsenal of cyber-attackers. For instance, sophisticated tools can enable fraudsters to launch large-scale identity attacks via methods such as deepfake images, document spoofing, and synthetic identities.

These technologies are all scalable and automated which means the speed of compromise has narrowed from days to minutes. Hacks are often happening faster than organizations can respond. And increasingly accessibility to the technology means it can be weaponized by anyone.

It is important to stress that while this paints a bleak picture, the same technology can be leveraged by organizations to detect anomalies and strengthen identity management. But as these technologies continue to evolve, organizations can no longer rely on traditional fraud detection methods.

The shift from reactive to pre-emptive

Many organizations are still following yesterday’s security methods to deal with today’s threats. A reactive security approach is no longer enough in an era where AI driven attacks are accelerating and expanding the attack surface.

That doesn’t mean businesses shouldn’t have a recovery strategy: having a plan in place to detect attacks and respond to incidents is still key. But prevention and prediction are now the name of the game.

Businesses should focus on building an approach which shifts the focus of security teams from detection and response to prevention. This includes using technology such as AI to anticipate threats and focus on validating security control. This prevents attackers from exploiting vulnerabilities and enables continuous testing and verification of methods.

Traditional perimeter-based approaches are no longer sufficient when threats are becoming more adaptive and intelligent. Instead, organizations need to prioritize continuous network monitoring, identity-first security, and rapid incident response capabilities that can keep pace with AI-driven threats.

Failure to do so means that businesses risk major security incidents, financial losses, and competitive disadvantage.

Strengthening cyber hygiene at every level

The cyber resilience of businesses also depends on strengthening cyber hygiene at every level. Even the most advanced tools can be undermined by poor patch management or lack of employee awareness.

Training and development are crucial for employees to acquire the necessary skills to utilize AI effectively and explore new opportunities. Businesses should also focus on continually educating their employees on the secure usage of generative AI systems.

This should be alongside cybersecurity training – such as helping employees at all levels to identify the tell-tale signs of AI-driven attacks. And implementing strong password policies is also crucial.

It’s also critical to focus on periodic patching of endpoints. The first level of malware, ransomware, and phishing-based attacks often happens on an endpoint. Here, AI is a friend rather than a foe: AI-driven security decisions, continuous risk assessment, and platform-level integration help to protect endpoints.

The key takeaway

New cybersecurity risks, the growing influence of AI, and the expectations of clients and regulators all means that UK businesses need to supercharge their cyber approach. Not only can a comprehensive and effective recovery plan help business bounce back with minimal impact - but it’s cheaper than paying the price of a breach.

Looking to the future, the evolution of AI – including ever-improving agents - will pose new threats to businesses. Organizations should rethink their approaches, with a traditional response driven strategy no longer sufficient when threats are becoming more adaptive and intelligent. Instead, a preemptive security model can enable them to keep pace with AI-driven threats.

It’s also worth remembering that AI can be used to play a role in protecting businesses. Mozilla tested Mythos on its Firefox browser and found 271 flaws. It was able to fix them. It’s encouraging that these flaws were ones that could have been found by a human researcher – and that the AI was able to discover them quickly and at scale.

While these AI tools should encourage organizations to rethink their assumptions about threat actors, their powers can also be used for good.

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