Google (GOOGL) Says It Stopped Hackers Using AI to Plan Mass Cyberattack

Google’s (GOOGL) Threat Intelligence Group (GTIG) said it stopped a hacking plan that used artificial intelligence for a large-scale vulnerability attack. Indeed, GTIG said it has “high confidence” that hackers used an AI model to find and exploit a zero-day vulnerability, which means a software flaw that developers did not yet know about. According to the tech giant, the attackers created a way to bypass two-factor authentication. However, the tech giant said its early discovery may have prevented the exploit from being used widely, and it does not believe its Gemini model was involved.

Interestingly, the report shows just how quickly AI is becoming part of cybercrime. Hackers are using tools like OpenClaw to find software weaknesses, build malware, and launch attacks faster than before. That creates serious risks for companies, governments, and other organizations. Google also said that groups linked to China and North Korea have shown a strong interest in using AI to discover vulnerabilities, which suggests this is becoming a bigger national security issue.

The warning comes as AI companies are moving carefully with more powerful cybersecurity-focused models. In April, Anthropic delayed the release of its Mythos model because of concerns that criminals or adversaries could use it to find old software flaws and exploit them. The model has since been released to a limited group of testers, including Apple (AAPL), CrowdStrike (CRWD), Microsoft (MSFT), and Palo Alto Networks (PANW). More recently, OpenAI began a limited preview of GPT-5.5-Cyber for approved cybersecurity teams.

Are GOOGL Shares a Good Buy?

Turning to Wall Street, analysts have a Strong Buy consensus rating on GOOGL stock based on 28 Buys and five Holds assigned in the past three months. Furthermore, the average GOOGL price target of $426.44 per share implies 9% upside potential.