Leveling the Playing Field Against Attacker AI Enabled Tactics, Techniques & Procedures

AI is revolutionizing cybersecurity, but not just for the defenders. Large Language Models (LLMs) are lowering the barrier to entry for cybercriminals, allowing even those with minimal coding experience to generate polymorphic malware that constantly evolves to evade detection. What once required advanced programming skills and deep knowledge of malware obfuscation techniques can now be achieved with a few well-crafted prompts. This democratization of malicious innovation is shifting the balance of power in the cyber underworld, making sophisticated attacks accessible to a much broader pool of threat actors. 

At the GitHub AppSec AI Summit, we’ll uncover the unsettling reality of how AI-powered tools are being weaponized by attackers, creating self-mutating malware strains that slip past traditional antivirus and Endpoint Detection and Response (EDR) solutions. Imagine a piece of malware that rewrites its own code in real-time, altering its signatures faster than security systems can catalog them. This isn’t science fiction—it’s a capability already being exploited in the wild. We’ll showcase real-world examples, including malware campaigns that leverage LLMs to generate polymorphic malware rapidly and at scale, beating out even the fastest updates from the best defensive tools on the market. 

But it’s not just about the malware itself. The implications for threat intelligence are profound. Traditional indicators of compromise (IOCs) like file hashes or static code patterns are becoming obsolete as AI-driven malware adapts on the fly. Security teams are now forced to rethink their approach, shifting from reactive signature-based defenses to proactive, behavior-based detection powered by none other than AI itself. At the summit, we’ll dive into how this digital battlefield is unfolding and explore the limitations of current cybersecurity paradigms in the new landscape it brings. 

One of the standout sessions you won’t want to miss, Leveling the Playing Field Against Attacker AI Enabled TTPS, presented by Elias Marquez, the founder and CEO of Achilleus Inc. A seasoned penetration tester, red teamer, and bug bounty hunter, Marquez brings a unique perspective shaped by years of breaking and fixing systems. His talk will pull back the curtain on how attackers are wielding AI to supercharge their operations, from crafting convincing ChatGPT-generated phishing emails to deploying deep-fake executive impersonations that could tank your company's reputation overnight. He’ll tease out how AI is slashing the time to compromise, with automated reconnaissance and real-time decision-making, that can leave defenders scrambling. In a world with AI, the game has forever been changed for both the defenders and the attackers alike. The speed at which vulnerabilities can be found is now expedited, which raises the stakes for attackers who can leverage this technology for their own personal gain. 

Don’t worry though, he won’t be stopping at the doom and gloom. He’ll hint at game-changing defensive strategies, including an AI arms race where cutting-edge tools, like a fully autonomous penetration testing AI straight from Achilleus’s labs, can turn the tables. Picture an AI that’s trained to think like a hacker, constantly updated with real-time threat data, and capable of sniffing out vulnerabilities across internal networks, external systems, and web applications before real attackers can strike your organization. By integrating the strategic thinking of a human attacker with machine learning, such a tool can identify exploits at an unprecedented pace, outstripping traditional methods and tipping the scales in favor of proactive defenders who can stay ahead of threats.Curious to learn more? Make sure you register for the event that occurs March 27th, 2025 here. 

Attackers are leveraging AI for more than just polymorphic malware. Imagine botnets and DDoS attacks that evolve in real time to evade firewalls or automated tools relentlessly exploiting weak authentication and OAuth flaws at scale. At the GitHub AppSec AI Summit, we’ll break down these emerging threats and how to fight back against them. From AI-powered security testing that catches vulnerabilities early, to anomaly detection, adaptive MFA, and dynamic web defenses, staying ahead means fighting AI against AI. A zero-trust approach can keep attackers out, while real-time intelligence ensures you're always one step ahead. Don’t miss the full breakdown at the summit. 

The rise of AI-assisted cybercrime is no longer a future concern, it’s one that is happening now. In 2024 alone, reports of LLM-generated malware have spiked, with underground forums buzzing about “prompt engineering” for malicious code. Organizations that fail to adapt risk being blindsided by threats they can’t even detect, let alone stop. Will your organization be ready? Join us at the GitHub AppSec AI Summit to find out. This isn’t just another conference, but rather a call to action for a world where AI is both the sword and the shield.