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Unleashing AI in Ethical Hacking

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Security and Trust Management (STM 2024)

Abstract

This paper explores the potential use of generative Artificial Intelligence (GenAI) to enhance the effectiveness and efficiency of ethical hacking, and outlines a proof-of-concept implementation. It briefly reviews the fundamentals of GenAI with a focus on ChatGPT, and then summarises the concept and phases of ethical hacking. The paper also critically assesses risks such as misuse of AI, data biases, and the danger of over-dependence on technology, emphasising the importance of a collaborative human-AI partnership. The paper concludes with a discussion of possible future directions, including use of AI in strengthening cyber defences. This research contributes to the ongoing dialogue around the ethical and innovative application of AI to bolster security.

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Notes

  1. 1.

    https://openai.com/blog/chatgpt.

  2. 2.

    https://openai.com/gpt-4.

  3. 3.

    https://bard.google.com/.

  4. 4.

    https://github.com/features/copilot/.

  5. 5.

    https://owasp.org/www-project-top-ten/.

  6. 6.

    https://owasp.org/www-project-mobile-top-10/

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  3. Al-Sinani, H., Mitchell, C.: Unleashing AI in ethical hacking: a preliminary experimental study. Technical report, Royal Holloway, University of London (2024). https://pure.royalholloway.ac.uk/files/58692091/TechReport_UnleashingAIinEthicalHacking.pdf

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Correspondence to Haitham S. Al-Sinani .

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Al-Sinani, H.S., Mitchell, C.J., Sahli, N., Al-Siyabi, M. (2025). Unleashing AI in Ethical Hacking. In: Martinelli, F., Rios, R. (eds) Security and Trust Management. STM 2024. Lecture Notes in Computer Science, vol 15235. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-76371-7_10

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-76371-7_10

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  • Publisher Name: Springer, Cham

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-031-76370-0

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-031-76371-7

  • eBook Packages: Computer ScienceComputer Science (R0)

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