🇫🇷 French, 25 October 2026, AI-assisted vulnerability
AI-assisted vulnerability discovery accelerates cyberattacks
AI-powered tools quickly identify and exploit previously unknown vulnerabilities, creating a new normal in cybersecurity.
The discovery of PHP2Shell vulnerabilities, which have been hiding in PHP code since 2004, was made possible by AI-powered tools. The vulnerabilities were quickly identified and corrected, but not before many sites were temporarily inaccessible. In France, several prefecture portals, the tax website, Orange, and Météo France were affected. Palo Alto Networks estimates that 22 million platforms worldwide are exposed.
The use of AI in vulnerability discovery is not new, but it has accelerated the process, making it easier for attackers to exploit previously unknown vulnerabilities. This has created a new normal in cybersecurity, where the rapid discovery and exploitation of vulnerabilities are the norm.
The AI-powered tools used to discover the vulnerabilities, such as Gemini and GPT-5.6 Sol, are also being used by attackers to develop exploits in a matter of hours.