Fortinet Report: Billions of AI-Powered Hacking Attempts Target Cloud Systems Globally
A recent technical report issued by Fortinet, a company specializing in cybersecurity solutions, has revealed the expanding scope of digital threats targeting cloud systems worldwide. The report, titled "2026 Cloud-Native Threat Landscape," recorded 2.3 billion brute-force attack attempts relying on automated password guessing, alongside 1.7 billion attempts to exploit security vulnerabilities, in addition to 150 million reconnaissance operations on cloud environments.
The report explained that attackers' use of artificial intelligence and automation techniques to identify and exploit security vulnerabilities has contributed to increasing the speed and scale of attacks. This reliance has helped reduce the time required to exploit vulnerabilities from weeks to just a few hours, as the report observed exploitation activity within 24 to 48 hours of the necessary code becoming available, which has reduced the time available for security teams to detect and address threats before operational and financial damage occurs.
Identity Theft and Misuse of Computing Resources
Stolen or exposed login credentials are among the primary methods attackers rely on to access cloud systems as legitimate users, making it difficult to distinguish their activities from normal user behavior. These operations rely on exploiting configuration errors and vulnerabilities, as well as the lack of multi-factor authentication and the granting of excessive privileges.
The attackers' goal is not limited to data theft; it extends to seizing control of cloud computing resources for illicit financial gain through the misuse of cloud email services, cryptocurrency mining, or the unauthorized exploitation of artificial intelligence services, leading to increased operational costs and heightened security risks.
Defense Priorities and Threat Mitigation
The report identified three main priorities for enhancing the protection of cloud environments, including prioritizing security risks by importance, implementing AI-powered security across application development, deployment, and operational stages, and ensuring immediate threat response and proactive testing.
These measures are of particular importance in vital sectors that rely heavily on digital technologies, such as financial services, healthcare, energy, telecommunications, and government entities, especially in light of the continuous expansion in the use of cloud computing and artificial intelligence to support digital transformation journeys and the goals of Saudi Vision 2030.