AI Raises the Cybersecurity Stakes — But People Still Open the Door
AI Raises the Cybersecurity Stakes — But People Still Open the Door
https://www.infosecurity-magazine.com/opinions/ai-cybersecurity-people-open-door/
Publish Date: 2026-03-04 08:00:00
Source Domain: www.infosecurity-magazine.com
When people think about cybersecurity, they often picture a hooded figure in a dark room, hammering away at a keyboard, trying to break through a digital perimeter. It’s a familiar image, and an increasingly misleading one. Today’s reality isn’t man vs. machine; it’s human vs. human.
What is different today, is you no longer need to be deeply technical or exceptionally skilled to play the attacker. It’s here that AI is lowering the barrier to entry and changing the rules of engagement.
Yes, generative AI has given security professionals new ways to accelerate detection and response. But it’s also given bad actors a powerful upgrade in their ability to deceive. Well-written phishing emails, deepfake voice calls, and highly targeted social engineering attacks are now faster to produce and harder to detect. The tools of the trade are persuasion, misdirection, and manipulation, which means your people, not your perimeter, continue to be the most exposed surface area.
The Same Attacks, Better Disguises
AI allows bad actors to industrialise deception. Phishing emails are no longer poorly written or obviously generic. They’re fluent, well-timed, and context aware. Voice cloning and AI-driven call scripts can mimic tone, authority, and urgency with alarming accuracy. Social engineering attacks that once took weeks to plan and prepare can now be executed in minutes.
From a defender’s perspective, that acceleration matters. It shortens reaction times, increases volume, and raises the cognitive load on people making decisions at the frontline. But it doesn’t fundamentally alter the nature of the threat. The door is still opened or closed by a human being.
Why People Remain the Weakest Link and the Strongest Defence
Security professionals often describe people as the weakest link. There’s truth in that, but it’s only half the story. People are difficult to control, but they’re also the only part of the system capable of…
