Hackers Find ‘Ideal Testing Ground’ for Attacks: Developing Countries<br />They test something, make improvements, and then six weeks later test again before launching it at their true targets.”<br />As internet use has expanded in Africa, Mr. Liska said, his company has noticed an increase in so-called spear-phishing<br />attacks in which hackers appear to be testing their skills in English- and French-speaking African countries.<br />By SHEERA FRENKELJULY 2, 2017<br />SAN FRANCISCO — The attack had the hallmarks of something researchers had dreaded for years: malicious software using artificial intelligence<br />that could lead to a new digital arms race in which A. I.-driven defenses battled A. I.-driven offenses while humans watched from the sidelines.<br />As other cybersecurity companies enter Southeast Asia, Africa<br />and other parts of the world where they have not had much presence, they will continue to discover new types of malware being tested in those markets, said Allan Liska, a senior threat intelligence analyst at Recorded Future, a cybersecurity firm based in Somerville, Mass.<br />“India is a place where newer A. I.<br />attacks might be seen for the first time, simply because it is an ideal testing ground<br />for those sorts of attacks,” said Nicole Eagan, the chief executive of Darktrace.<br />“What was concerning was that this attack, once it got into the network, used A. I.<br />techniques, like trying to learn the behaviors of employees on the network, to remain undetected for as long as possible,” Ms. Eagan said.
