Smarter Threats, Smarter Defenses: AI Use Cases in Cybercrime and Cybersecurity; Hosted by UNIDIR in partnership with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Viet Nam

Smarter Threats, Smarter Defenses: AI Use Cases in Cybercrime and Cybersecurity; Hosted by UNIDIR in partnership with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Viet Nam

Room: R202

Time: 14:00 to 15:00, 26 October 2025

Organizer: United Nations Institute for Disarmament Research (UNIDIR) & Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Viet Nam

Side Event Description: Artificial Intelligence is rapidly transforming both the offensive and defensive dimensions of cyberspace. Malicious cyber actors are increasingly using AI to enhance the speed, scale, and sophistication of their operations, from AI-generated phishing emails to polymorphic malware that adapts in real-time to evade detection. At the same time, AI is being harnessed by governments, industry, and civil society to detect and disrupt harmful online activities, automate cyber defenses, and strengthen cybercrime investigations.

This side-event will explore “AI as a Service,” presenting concrete attacker use cases and showing how AI is exploited outside, on, and inside the ICT security perimeter. UNIDIR will draw on its Cyber–AI Nexus research to illustrate how malicious actors leverage AI at each stage of the ICT intrusion path. The discussion will then pivot to positive use cases where AI empowers defenders in government, industry, and civil society to detect, deter, and respond to evolving threats. Briefings will cover:

• – How AI-driven automation strengthens cyber defenses, from detecting malicious code to accelerating incident response (SecDev Group)

– How AI-enabled tools can detect, disrupt, and help investigate harmful online activities (Google)

– How AI chatbots can help uncover online scams and fraudulent recruitment schemes (Mythos Labs)

A Q&A roundtable session with briefers and participants will follow, concluding with reflections on the need for AI and technology capacity-building to enable law enforcement, cyber defenders, and other stakeholders to keep pace with rapidly evolving AI-enabled threats in cyberspace.

Objectives

– Raise awareness of AI’s role in malicious cyber activities

– Showcase practical case studies of AI strengthening cyber defenses and protection

– Encourage capacity-building in responsible AI use

– Foster dialogue between governments, industry, and civil society on AI-enabled threats

Expected Participants: 36-70 people