Nemstar Insights
By Sean Hanna, Founder & Director of Nemstar
February 16, 2025
Hackers are using AI. Right now. Not next year. Not five years down the line. Today.
Late yesterday, we got confirmation of what many of us in cyber suspected: Chinese state-backed attackers used Anthropic’s AI model Claude to automate the lion’s share of a recent cyberattack campaign. According to The Verge, up to 90% of the attack chain was driven by AI. Reconnaissance. Credential harvesting. Intrusion. All done with little human input.
This isn’t speculative. It’s not theoretical. This is what cyberattacks look like now.
So, let me ask you plainly:
If attackers are using AI to scale and automate their efforts, and you’re still defending with spreadsheets and outdated training modules… how do you expect to keep up?
You’ve probably heard the term “vibe hacking” floating around. Sounds fluffy, doesn’t it? But don’t let the name fool you. This is the evolution of social engineering, powered by agentic AI. We’re talking about dynamic manipulation based on real-time emotional cues, context shifting, and decision trees that change based on you, your actions, your tone, your response.
It’s like phishing, but with a psychology degree and a limitless attention span.
We used to train people to spot dodgy emails. Now we need to prepare them for persuasive AI chatbots trained on human dialogue, capable of mimicking empathy and building rapport, all with the intent to breach.
I’ve been saying it for years: “The difference between knowledge and understanding is action.”
Knowing AI is out there is one thing. But if you’re not acting, upskilling, adapting, building resilience, then you’re not ready. Full stop.
AI in the hands of attackers means:
It’s not a question of if. It’s when.
At Nemstar, we’ve launched the Nemstar Certified AI Practitioner (NCAP) course precisely for this reason. Because we don’t just need to defend against AI, we need to leverage it.
This isn’t a buzzword course. It’s hands-on, structured around four key pillars:
Because if they’ve got Claude, we need to have a counter.
There’s no excuse anymore. The attackers are using AI, right now. If you’re not preparing your team, your business, or yourself, you’re just waiting to be breached.
We’ve spent years training defenders. We know what works. And right now, the smartest thing you can do is invest in understanding AI as a risk and as a tool.
The NCAP course launches this January.
Are you going to be ready?
Sean Hanna
Founder & Director
Sean Hanna founded Nemstar in 2009, leveraging 20+ years of cybersecurity expertise to deliver business-focused technical training. As EC Council’s Global Security Trainer of the Year, he has trained thousands globally, including at Microsoft, GCHQ, and the U.S. Navy. Sean led Microsoft Exchange 2000’s technical training launch and helps organizations strengthen their cybersecurity defenses.