The attacks with ransomware have brought devastating consequences to individuals and companies worldwide. This type of malware cryptographically locks data, rendering it unusable until the victim pays the ransom demanded by the attackers. Notable incidents include the attack on Telefónica in 2017 and the recent hacking of Artists & Clients, a platform where artists connect with potential customers. In this instance, hackers are not only seeking a ransom but also threatening to exploit all the artists’ works for artificial intelligence (AI) purposes.
The Hacking Incident was detailed in a report by 404Media. The breach took place on August 30, when a message from the attackers stated: “This website has been pirated by Lunalock. All its data , including email addresses and passwords of the user accounts, have been stolen and encrypted .” Since then, the website has remained offline, and as of this writing, it remains inaccessible. The owners of the website have yet to comment, and their social media platforms are silent. However, several artists on the platform voiced their concerns on Reddit.
<img alt="I have negotiated with the Crackers in a ransomware attack: we asked us 1 bitcoin or we lost all our information" width="375" height="142" src="https://i.blogs.es/1b67e1/portada/375_142.jpeg"/>Escalating Threats. The hackers’ message was typical for such attacks: if the ransom is not paid, all data would be leaked, including the site’s source code and users’ personal information. The most alarming part of the message stated: “We will send all the illustrations to artificial intelligence companies so that they are added to the training data sets.” In a statement to 404Media, a researcher at the Flare cybersecurity company noted, “It is the first time I see an attack using AI models as part of her extortion tactics.”
AI and Art have become contentious topics ever since the emergence of the first image generation models trained on artists’ works without permission. Some artists have felt compelled to sue companies using their work, while others have devised methods to “ poison ” their work, making it unusable for AI. Additionally, applications have emerged that help prevent a particular work from being used in AI training. The current situation not only reflects the artists’ anxieties but also serves as a lever in the hackers’ threats.
Malicious Use of AI. Interestingly, while Lunalock is not using AI directly, they employ it as a tactic in their extortion strategy. Nevertheless, there are cybercriminals who actively use AI to enhance the effectiveness of their attacks, allowing for more automated and sophisticated operations. Recently, Wired highlighted an ESET report detailing how attackers are utilizing generative AI to execute ransomware attacks more effectively.
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In Xataka, creative artificial intelligences are going to kill art again. It does not have the slightest importance