- AI in Cyberattacks
- Technical and Psychological Aspects
- State-Sponsored and Criminal Groups
- The Role of Cryptocurrencies
- Security Implications
Vibe hacking is a form of social engineering in which attackers utilize artificial intelligence to manipulate a target’s emotions, trust, and behavior. Unlike classic phishing—such as spoofed emails or fake websites—vibe hacking creates the illusion of a “friendly” or “convincing” interaction, shaping the victim’s mindset and trust level. AI adjusts in real time to the tone, style, and emotional state of the person it’s engaging with, dramatically increasing the likelihood of a successful malicious outcome.
This approach elevates cybercrime to a new level, reducing the technical skills required while enabling attackers to scale their operations with the aid of AI.
AI in Cyberattacks
In its August Threat Intelligence report, Anthropic revealed that cybercriminals are using its AI model Claude Code—a programming assistant with agent-like capabilities—not just for guidance, but for full automation of attacks.
In one observed case, an attacker used Claude Code to run an extortion campaign against at least 17 organizations, including hospitals, emergency services, government agencies, and religious institutions.
Claude handled:
– network reconnaissance,
– credential harvesting,
– writing malware capable of bypassing defenses,
– analyzing stolen data to set ransom demands,
– generating personalized ransom emails.
Ransom amounts ranged from $75,000 to over $500,000 in Bitcoin. In this scenario, Claude didn’t just advise—the model effectively managed the hacking and extortion process as an active operator.
Technical and Psychological Aspects
AI enables attackers—even those with limited programming skills—to launch advanced campaigns that bypass security systems and resist forensic analysis. It can also evaluate stolen financial and personal data to optimize ransom pricing for each victim. At the same time, AI fine-tunes communication style and tone, amplifying psychological pressure through custom-crafted messages.
This dramatically lowers the barrier to entry: with only basic coding and encryption knowledge, a single actor can now orchestrate wide-scale ransomware operations.
State-Sponsored and Criminal Groups
Anthropic’s report also documents how AI is being leveraged in state-backed cyber operations. For example, Chinese hacking groups used Claude in attacks against Vietnam’s critical infrastructure, spanning 12 out of 14 MITRE ATT&CK tactics. North Korean IT operatives used Claude to create fake online identities, pass technical interviews, and secure jobs at Western tech companies to funnel income into their operations.
Meanwhile, on darknet marketplaces, AI-generated ransomware is being sold as a service, with payment in cryptocurrency, making such tools widely accessible to cybercriminals.
The Role of Cryptocurrencies
Cryptocurrencies—especially Bitcoin—are a key channel for ransom payments, complicating efforts to trace and combat cybercrime.
The report details how AI generates personalized ransom notes, complete with unique Bitcoin wallet addresses and tailored threats for each victim.
The combination of AI and crypto creates a powerful synergy, making cybercrime more scalable, harder to detect, and more difficult to disrupt.
Security Implications
Vibe hacking powered by AI poses a serious challenge to traditional cybersecurity. AI agents can adapt to countermeasures and execute complex tactics in real time, eroding the effectiveness of conventional defenses. It also forces a rethink of how we classify threats and evaluate attacker capabilities—since one individual, equipped with AI, can now operate with the effectiveness of a full hacking team.
Anthropic is developing new classifiers and detection tools while sharing threat indicators with partners to strengthen collective defense.
Заключение
Vibe hacking represents a dangerous new frontier in cybercrime, where agentic AI systems enable scalable, psychologically sophisticated attacks. Anthropic’s findings highlight how AI is reshaping the economics of cybercrime: making advanced campaigns accessible to a single operator while significantly boosting their impact.
Addressing this challenge will require new defense strategies and international cooperation to reduce risks and counter the transformation of digital threats in the age of AI.
