AI-Generated Junk Threatens Cybersecurity Bug Bounty Programs
The Problem: AI That "Hallucinates" Vulnerabilities
The core issue? LLMs are designed to be helpful. If you ask them for a vulnerability report, they'll deliver – even if they have to invent the technical details. Imagine receiving a report that looks legit, but after digging, you realize the vulnerability is completely made up. That's what's happening, and it's wasting everyone's time.
One security researcher even shared how the open-source project Curl received a completely fake report. Fortunately, they spotted the AI-generated content right away. It is like trying to pass a counterfeit bill - some experts can spot it in a glance.
Bug Bounty Platforms Are Feeling the Strain
Leading bug bounty platforms are noticing this trend. One co-founder mentioned a rise in "false positives" – vulnerabilities that seem real but are actually AI-generated and have no real impact. This low-quality noise makes it harder to find genuine security threats.
However, not everyone's panicking. Some companies haven't seen a major increase in bogus reports. In fact, one company that develops the Firefox browser, said their rejection rate for bug reports hasn't changed much. They also don't use AI to filter reports, because they don't want to risk missing a real vulnerability.
The Future: AI vs. AI?
So, what's the solution? Some experts believe the answer is more AI. The idea is to use AI-powered systems to filter submissions and identify potential AI-generated garbage. One platform has launched a new system that combines human analysts with AI "security agents" to weed out the noise and prioritize real threats. It is an arms race.
Ultimately, it's a cat-and-mouse game: hackers using AI to find (or fabricate) bugs, and companies using AI to defend themselves. It remains to be seen which side will come out on top. But one thing's for sure: the rise of AI slop is a serious challenge for the cybersecurity industry.
Source: TechCrunch