Update Your Privacy Tools Now: Cybersecurity Risks Are Rising with AI

AI is making cyberattacks faster, cheaper, and harder to spot. In the past year, security researchers have documented a sharp rise in AI-generated phishing emails that mimic real contacts with near-perfect grammar, deepfake voice calls impersonating colleagues or family members, and automated vulnerability scanners that probe thousands of accounts in minutes. The same technology that powers helpful chatbots is now being used to crack passwords, guess security questions, and tailor scams that fool even cautious users.

It sounds alarming, but the fix isn’t to abandon online services. It’s to update the basic privacy and security tools that already protect you—password managers, two‑factor authentication, VPNs, and browser settings—so they can stand up to AI‑driven attacks.

What happened

The World Economic Forum recently published guidance on how everyday users can adapt their privacy tools for the AI era. The report notes that AI enables cybercriminals to automate tasks that once required manual effort: generating thousands of convincing phishing emails, scraping social media for personal details to use in social engineering, and even creating deepfake audio or video to impersonate someone you trust. Traditional defenses like basic antivirus software or a single‑layer password are rarely enough against these tailored attacks.

Why it matters

Your existing online security setup—the password you’ve reused twice, the SMS code you use for login verification, the VPN you installed years ago and never updated—may still stop an old‑school hacker. But an AI‑powered attack can bypass those defenses in seconds. For example, an attacker armed with a breached password list and an automated credential‑stuffing tool can try thousands of login attempts per minute. A deepfake phone call can trick you into sharing the one‑time code sent via text. The goal is not to scare you, but to show that small upgrades make a real difference.

What readers can do

Here are four steps you can complete in about 15 minutes. They don’t require buying expensive software or learning technical jargon.

1. Upgrade your password manager.
Enable breach monitoring if your manager supports it (most do now). This checks your saved passwords against known data breaches and alerts you to change compromised credentials. Switch to complex passphrases (three to four random words) rather than short, complex strings—they’re easier to remember and harder for AI to guess. Many managers now offer a “password health” score; aim for 100%.

2. Move to stronger two‑factor authentication.
SMS‑based codes are vulnerable to SIM‑swap attacks and deepfake calls asking for the code. Use an authenticator app (like Google Authenticator, Authy, or Microsoft Authenticator) that generates time‑based one‑time passwords (TOTP). Even better: buy a hardware security key (YubiKey, Google Titan) and use it wherever possible. Hardware keys resist phishing entirely because the key only works on the legitimate site.

3. Check your VPN settings.
Not all VPNs are alike. Look for three features: a kill switch (cuts internet if the VPN drops), DNS leak protection (prevents your real IP from leaking), and support for the WireGuard protocol. WireGuard is faster and more resistant to traffic‑analysis attacks than older protocols. If your VPN provider doesn’t offer WireGuard, consider switching.

4. Harden your browser.
Disable third‑party cookies (most browsers allow this in privacy settings). Enable “Do Not Track” if available, though its effectiveness varies. Use a reputable ad‑blocker or script‑blocker like uBlock Origin to stop tracking scripts and malicious ads. Many modern browsers now include built‑in protections against fingerprinting—make sure they’re turned on.

Pro tips for extra protection:

  • Enable multi‑factor authentication on every account that supports it, not just email and banking.
  • Where possible, use passkeys (passwordless login backed by your device’s biometrics). They resist phishing and credential stuffing entirely.
  • Check your account activity logs weekly for logs from unknown locations or devices.
  • Be skeptical of unexpected calls or messages, even if they sound like someone you know. Hang up and verify through a separate channel.

Conclusion

AI is changing cybersecurity for both attackers and defenders. You don’t need to become an expert or buy a dozen subscriptions to keep your data safe. By making a few deliberate updates to the tools you already use—stronger passwords, better two‑factor authentication, a properly configured VPN, and a cleaner browser—you can stay ahead of many AI‑powered threats.

Sources

  • World Economic Forum. “How to update data privacy tools to cut cybersecurity risk in the AI era.” June 2026.
  • World Economic Forum. “AI speeds cybercrime by exposing flaws, and other cybersecurity news.” June 2026.
  • World Economic Forum. “Anthropic’s Mythos moment: How frontier AI is redefining cybersecurity.” April 2026.