Malware attacks on SMBs disguised as AI services surged by five times in 2026, Kaspersky reports
Kaspersky reports a fivefold increase in malware attacks targeting small and medium-sized businesses that use fake AI services as a lure. Attackers are primarily masquerading as popular tools like ChatGPT, Claude, and DeepSeek to deploy malicious Trojware.
Why it matters
As AI tools become essential for business workflows, they are increasingly being weaponized by cybercriminals to compromise corporate security.
Manila Bulletin - Malware attacks on SMBs disguised as AI services surged by five times in 2026, Kaspersky reports
Malware attacks on SMBs disguised as AI services surged by five times in 2026, Kaspersky reports
From January to April 2026, Kaspersky security solutions* detected more than 33,300 attacks on small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs), in which malicious or unwanted software for PCs were disguised as popular artificial intelligence (AI) services. This number has surged by almost five times when compared to the same period in 2025.
A new Kaspersky report reveals threat analysis and mitigation strategies to help SMBs protect themselves against the evolving threat landscape.
Get smarter about the news
Sign up free for a feed built around what you actually care about, Dive Deeper research on any story, and the full text of every article.
Create free accountAlready have an account? Sign in