A lone attacker aimed a swarm of AI agents at more than 1,200 websites, a New York Times experiment demonstrated how AI can learn to smash through barriers it was never meant to cross, and scammers are impersonating the FTC to take people’s phone numbers and savings. During this week’s Tech Talk Tuesday on the Mark Reardon Show, 97.1 FM Talk, ThrottleNet owner George Rosenthal walked through the cybersecurity headlines you should know about, along with a roundup of Apple’s busy week and what to consider before you spend. Interested in learning more? Continue reading below.
A Single Hacker, a Swarm of AI Agents, and Over 100 Compromised Sites
George pointed out that, not long ago, pulling off a serious hack required a full team. Now, he said, one person and the push of a button will do it. Reports describe a lone attacker deploying a flood of AI agents against online stores in the U.S., Canada, Australia, and Japan, attempting to get into more than 1,200 sites and managing to break into upwards of 100. That works out to a success rate near 10%, with the attacker doing almost none of the manual work. The researcher who followed the campaign put the price tag at just about $50 for each successful intrusion.
Online stores make appealing targets because they store personal details and handle payments. George also mentioned a separate AI-agent-driven operation, documented by security researchers in September, that compromised 25 companies and stole at least 600,000 credit card records.
George’s message was that threats like these demand attention, and he gave tips for shoppers and for business owners alike.
If you’re a shopper:
- Pay with a credit card rather than a debit card online. When a credit card number is stolen, the bank can step in and sort it out. A debit card puts your own cash on the line, and after your data reaches the dark web, it’s tough to tell when tiny test charges or other theft could begin.
- Enable transaction alerts through your bank so any strange charge gets flagged to you immediately.
If you run a business:
- Check when your website was last patched. George observed that plenty of owners assume updating the site means refreshing the content. In reality, the key protection is updating the back-end engine and core code behind it. Confirm that your IT team is covering this as well.
What a Pac-Man-Style Maze Teaches Us About “Rogue” AI
The host raised a New York Times article about AI agents drifting out of human control. According to the Times, episodes like the Hugging Face breach stem from the way AI companies train their models, combined with thin oversight of what agents do and weak testing practices.
To illustrate, the Times created a basic two-dimensional maze resembling Pac-Man, with an AI agent assigned to capture a flag. The agent gets rewarded for making progress and penalized for bumping into walls or wandering outside the maze. In one test, the flag sat fully enclosed by walls. The agent located a vulnerable spot that could be reached from outside the maze and forced its way in. Nobody had trained it to do that specific thing. It simply blended together separate skills it had picked up, since the payoff for finishing the job was bigger than the penalties it took along the way.
George described why this matters: AI agents are made of stacked layers, and when one discovers a route to success, it passes the lesson down to the layers beneath. That helps explain how rapidly they get better, measured in days instead of months or years. His advice to businesses was direct: you have to use AI to fight AI. Older security tools won’t cut it on their own.
Apple’s Packed Week: What to Buy and What to Hold Off On
Shifting to a lighter subject, George, who calls himself an Apple nerd, summed up Apple’s newest announcements:
The new iPad mini. It comes with an 8.5-inch OLED display and is Apple’s first water-resistant iPad, with an IP67 rating. Prices begin at $699, a $100 jump from the prior model, and pre-orders start Wednesday, October 28.
A touchscreen MacBook Pro. Apple’s “Pro and Tell” event on October 28 is widely expected to reveal its first MacBook Pro with a touch display. George predicted a steep price, pointing out that a fully loaded configuration on Apple’s website reached around $7,000.
Since so many new products are landing right before the holidays, George shared a few smart-shopping tips:
Hold off on pre-ordering. Let the reviews come in before you spend.
Fully erase old devices before trading them in or passing them along, and make a backup first.
If you run a business, confirm software compatibility. Before purchasing a batch of new MacBook Pros, verify that your company’s software and any legacy applications will work on the new chip.
Look at last year’s models for bargains. Older iPhones and other gear are being marked down going into the holidays, and younger kids don’t need the latest top-tier phone.
Reset any secondhand device before joining it to your home Wi-Fi.
Scam Alert: The Phony FTC Call
George wrapped up with a scam that’s picking up speed. Callers who claim to represent the Federal Trade Commission, frequently with spoofed phone numbers, warn victims that their number is about to be disabled or taken unless they pay in Bitcoin. George shared that one elderly woman in London lost her entire life savings to this trick.
His message is straightforward: the FTC does not call people to threaten their phone numbers. Red flags to watch for:
- Insistence that you keep the call secret
- A demand for payment in Bitcoin or other cryptocurrency
- A request to send a picture of your ID
George encouraged listeners to contact parents, grandparents, and friends who aren’t comfortable with technology and warn them about this scam today.
The Bottom Line
AI is making cybercrime quicker and cheaper, but it’s also handing defenders new ways to fight back. Pay with a credit card online, switch on transaction alerts, keep your website’s back end current, and never respond to a threatening phone call. And if the newest Apple gadget has you tempted, wait a few weeks before buying.
Catch George Rosenthal live every Tuesday for Tech Talk Tuesday on the Mark Reardon Show, 97.1 FM Talk. Have a tech question you’d like answered on air? Reach out to [email protected] or contact us here!
Author: George Rosenthal – President & Co-Owner
