from WILL COOPER in Washington, USA
Special contributor
WASHINGTON, (CAJ News) – ARTIFICIAL intelligence is making cyberattacks against critical infrastructure faster and potentially more dangerous, raising fresh concerns over the security of systems responsible for essential public services.
Water utilities, electricity networks and other industrial facilities are increasingly exposed as hackers use AI-enabled tools to understand specialised equipment, identify vulnerabilities and develop attacks more quickly.
Recent warnings from US cybersecurity agencies have highlighted attempts to exploit industrial control systems, including Siemens programmable logic controllers used in critical infrastructure.
Experts warn that the technology is not necessarily creating entirely new forms of cyberattacks.
Rather, AI is lowering the technical knowledge, time and resources required to carry out sophisticated operations.
This could prove particularly concerning for developing countries, including those across Africa, where many essential services depend on ageing digital infrastructure while cybersecurity capacity remains uneven.
The risk extends beyond computers and corporate networks.
Industrial control systems regulate physical processes in water treatment plants, electricity facilities and other essential services.
A successful intrusion could therefore have consequences in the physical world, potentially interrupting services relied upon by millions of people.
Recent attacks and attempted intrusions have demonstrated the vulnerability of such systems.
US authorities are investigating a cyberattack on Micro-Comm, a company supplying programmable logic controllers to wastewater facilities, while a wider wave of attacks against industrial systems has prompted additional cybersecurity warnings.
The growing use of AI by malicious actors has intensified calls for governments and infrastructure operators to strengthen digital defences.
For Africa, the challenge is particularly urgent as governments expand digitalisation across electricity, water, telecommunications, transport, banking and public administration.
Greater connectivity can improve efficiency and access to services, but it can also create additional entry points for criminals and state-backed attackers.
Cybersecurity specialists have consequently urged infrastructure operators to identify exposed systems, strengthen access controls, update vulnerable equipment and improve their ability to detect and respond to intrusions.
AI itself could also become part of the solution.
The technology can assist defenders in identifying unusual network activity, analysing large volumes of security data and responding more rapidly to emerging threats.
However, experts caution that governments cannot rely on technology alone.
Investment in cybersecurity skills, resilient infrastructure, effective regulation and cooperation between public authorities and private operators will remain essential.
The emerging threat underlines a broader reality: as countries modernise essential services, protecting the digital systems behind them must become as important as building the infrastructure itself.
– CAJ News