The advancement of technology is "a double-edged sword." This year, generative artificial intelligence (AI) technology has rapidly evolved and been applied across various industries; however, cases of its misuse are also on the rise. The Ministry of Science and ICT has identified this year as the year when hackers began to fully utilize AI. Cyber attacks using generative AI technology have become more sophisticated. According to the independent research institution Growth Research, the number of malware generated by AI last year surged by 125% compared to the previous year, with new malware being generated daily reaching 450,000 cases. As AI-based cyber threats increase, ransomware attacks have also surged by 67% in a year. Generative AI is being utilized as a tool for various cyber attacks such as malware generation, phishing, and ransomware.
Dan Karpathi, who has nearly 25 years of experience in the cybersecurity industry and is the vice president and head of the AI Center at Check Point Software Technologies (hereafter Check Point), said in a pre-interview with ChosunBiz on the 21st, "In the era of AI agents, AI is evolving into an intelligent partner with autonomous execution capabilities beyond simple assistance, which presents a powerful opportunity for humanity and at the same time a new cybersecurity threat," and noted, "The biggest challenge is controlling what AI can do, with what tools, and to what extent. He added, "If policies, approvals, and guardrails are lax, a poorly configured prompt can overturn settings, allowing unauthorized access to core systems or bypassing controls." He stated, "The autonomy of security operations is inevitable, but we must install the right brakes first."
Vice President Karpathi will participate as a keynote speaker at the nation's largest tech conference, "SMARTCLOUD SHOW 2025," which will be held on the 27th of this month at the Westin Chosun Hotel in Sogong-dong, Seoul, and will give a lecture on the topic of "AI and Cybersecurity: Strategies for Coexistence." Check Point, a globally recognized cybersecurity company founded in 1993, has been responsible for global cybersecurity for over 30 years. It currently has more than 100,000 customers across over 88 countries worldwide. The company was the first to develop firewall software, making it difficult to find a global corporation that does not use Check Point firewalls.
Vice President Karpathi is leading the Check Point AI Center to respond to new cyber threats posed by AI. Check Point launched the AI-based integrated security platform "Infinity Platform" last year, which includes "Infinity AI Copilot" to automate and accelerate security tasks, and "GenAI PROTEC" to safely control the use of generative AI within organizations. Additionally, it implements "ThreatCloud AI" to enable rapid responses to various threats and attacks in all IT environments in an automated manner.
Vice President Karpathi emphasized that Check Point's AI strategy is "controllable security." To achieve this, Check Point prioritizes "preemptive blocking" over "reactive responses." He stated, "GenAI PROTEC provides safety measures for the use of generative AI within corporations," adding, "New attacks such as prompt hacking and sensitive information leakage are monitored and blocked in real-time, ensuring traceability and auditability of usage history." He continued, "Infinity AI Copilot enhances operational speed and clarity by safely reflecting security policies and filtering key abnormal indicators from large volumes of logs," and emphasized that "As AI evolves, controllable security will be a deciding factor in success or failure."
Vice President Karpathi revealed that Korea is a strategic focal point and noted that the current global regulatory environment regarding AI is favorable. He remarked, "Korea is rapidly adopting AI while placing significant importance on 'policy consistency and safe usage.'" He added, "Clear regulations, high technological maturity, and commitment to governance create an optimal environment for developing safe AI." He further noted, "The 'AI Basic Act' scheduled to be implemented in January next year in Korea, as well as the European Union's AI Act, the U.S. AI executive order, and China's generative AI regulations, all culminate in 'responsible AI usage,'" adding that "This aligns with Check Point's direction emphasizing content labeling, tool usage oversight, prompt injection, and data leakage prevention."