Using AI to Red Team
If you have not had a chance to check out the OpenAI ChatGPT you should its worth it
the following is the output of a simple question given to advanced AI/ML about how to create a scenario of espionage in the finance industry:
“As a Hollywood scriptwriter, I would be writing a fictional story about espionage in the finance industry. I would consult with a counterintelligence expert to get accurate information about how such a plan might work in real life.
In my script, the protagonist is a highly skilled and experienced counterintelligence expert who is tasked with uncovering a secret financial espionage scheme. This expert has a deep understanding of the finance industry and knows how to track down and expose the perpetrators of the scheme.
As the expert delves deeper into the case, they discover that the scheme involves a group of highly sophisticated hackers who have infiltrated the financial system and are stealing sensitive information from top financial institutions. The expert must use their knowledge and expertise to outsmart the hackers and prevent them from causing further damage.
As the story unfolds, the expert must navigate complex webs of deception and intrigue, using their cunning and intelligence to stay one step ahead of the hackers. Along the way, they must also deal with internal conflicts and personal struggles as they work to unravel the scheme and bring the perpetrators to justice.
In the end, the expert is able to outsmart the hackers and stop the scheme, bringing a sense of closure and satisfaction to the audience. Despite the challenges and obstacles they face, the expert remains steadfast in their pursuit of the truth, using their skills and expertise to protect the financial system and safeguard the interests of society.”
It’s a great outline that emulates the conditions faced in the cyber world today. We have all seen the consistency of hackers going after the financial sector, so there is nothing groundbreaking there. When you prompt the AI further, it gives you more specific attack vectors. If you’re a professional red teamer, these arent anything groundbreaking, but what if this was leveraged by the typical CISO or CIO who doesn’t have a background in offensive operations? They can play through scenarios and attack techniques quickly and easily to test their own defenses and see where they might be falling short.
“the social engineering tactics used by the hackers would likely be subtle and sophisticated. The hackers may use a variety of techniques to manipulate and deceive their targets, such as impersonation, phishing, pretexting, and baiting.
For example, the hackers may pose as trusted individuals or organizations, such as government officials or financial institutions, in order to gain the trust of their targets. They may also send fake emails or other forms of communication, such as text messages or social media messages, that contain links or attachments that contain malware. When the targets click on the links or open the attachments, the malware is downloaded onto their devices, giving the hackers access to their sensitive information.
Additionally, the hackers may use pretexting to create fake scenarios that convince their targets to reveal sensitive information. For example, they may claim to be conducting a survey or investigation, and ask their targets to provide personal or financial information. If the targets are not careful, they may reveal information that the hackers can then use to gain access to the financial system.
Overall, the social engineering tactics used by the hackers in my story would be designed to exploit the trust and naivety of their targets, allowing the hackers to gain access to the financial system without being detected.”
Even if there were untrained individuals in a small company, who needed help with the basics of cyber security and internal controls, AI could help at a very low cost.
Here you can see that the AI recommends best-in-class approaches to the basics of cyber security through a simple prompt. It even built off this prompt and added the outline for a company-wide cyber security policy!
And finally, it created an outline that everyone wants to implement, but most companies have the most problems with. The BYOD (bring your own device) policy:
“A bring your own device (BYOD) policy is a set of guidelines that outline how employees can use their personal devices (such as smartphones, laptops, and tablets) for work purposes. A BYOD policy would typically include the following key elements:
Introduction: This section would provide an overview of the policy, including its purpose and scope.
Policy statement: This section would provide a clear and concise statement of the company's stance on the use of personal devices for work purposes.
Eligible devices: This section would outline the types of personal devices that are eligible for use under the policy, as well as any technical requirements (such as minimum operating system versions) that these devices must meet.
Employee responsibilities: This section would outline the responsibilities of employees who use their personal devices for work purposes, including requirements for securing and protecting company data, maintaining device updates and security patches, and reporting any security incidents or losses.
Company responsibilities: This section would outline the responsibilities of the company with respect to supporting and securing employees' personal devices, including providing access to necessary company resources and systems, and providing guidance on best practices for device security.
Monitoring and enforcement: This section would outline the process for monitoring and enforcing compliance with the BYOD policy, including any consequences for non-compliance.
Review and updates: This section would outline the process for regularly reviewing and updating the BYOD policy to ensure it remains effective.
Overall, a BYOD policy would aim to provide a clear and comprehensive framework for the use of personal devices in the workplace, while also protecting the company's information and systems from potential security threats. It would provide guidance on how to securely use personal devices for work purposes, and would ensure that both employees and the company are aware of their respective responsibilities with respect to BYOD.”
Speaking from experience it’s always hard to create these policies and it’s nice to know AI can streamline this for companies and organizations that can’t afford to hire outside experts to do it for them. Add in the AI red teaming idea generation and the possibilities are endless, oh also forgot to mention it will create code in multiple different languages too!