Adversaries log in: Speed and strength of AI-fueled attacks have cybersecurity industry playing catch-up

At RSAC 2026 in San Francisco, industry experts highlighted a significant escalation in AI-fueled cyberattacks. Key disclosures included a North Korean campaign using AI deepfakes to bypass job screenings and infiltrate global IT firms. Additionally, Aqua Security reported a supply chain breach in the Trivy vulnerability scanner where attackers inserted 'infostealer' code, impacting over 1,000 SaaS environments with potential growth to 10,000 victims. Cloudflare reported a 730% increase in DDoS attacks, noting the emergence of the Aisuru botnet capable of 30 Tbps strikes. Security professionals are now pivoting toward 'active defense' and AI-grounded security tools to counter these autonomous threats.