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More than 70% of Irish organisations are now vulnerable to AI-powered cybercrime, according to cybersecurity firm Smarttech247.
Data from the company’s Cyber Threat Intelligence platform shows that sensitive corporate credentials, access details and other exploitable information are actively circulating on the dark web.
It is, they say, being used to launch increasingly sophisticated attacks against Ireland’s finance, healthcare and government sectors.
Smarttech247 also says 60% of the malicious activity detected by its team in recent months involves targeted credential theft attempts, which is the theft of usernames, passwords or codes that grant direct access into company systems.
Once stolen, these often become the first step in a much larger attack where criminals can combine access with AI-powered phishing, voice cloning, and deepfake impersonation.
This allows attackers to bypass security controls, quietly steal sensitive data, or launch high-impact ransomware and fraud campaigns.
These social engineering attacks are the fastest-growing type of cybercrime worldwide.
One of the most high-profile examples emerged last month, when it’s alleged the National Treasury Management Agency was the target of a multi-million euro attack involving voice phishing.
CEO of Smarttech247, Raluca Saceanu, is warning organisations that they need to step up protection: “Our Cyber Threat Intelligence centre continuously monitors dark web marketplaces, criminal forums, and leak sites, and we’re very concerned that organisations across all sectors are incredibly unprepared for the scale and sophistication of this new wave of crime.
“Most rely on outdated email filters or staff awareness training alone, neither of which are effective against AI-powered impersonation, deepfakes, or advanced social engineering.
“In critical sectors such as finance, healthcare, and government, that level of preparedness is dangerously low”.
Compounding the threat, organisations across Ireland are increasingly feeding sensitive data into AI platforms, creating uncontrolled exposure across internal networks and external cloud services.
“From internal documents and customer data to proprietary code, critical information is being processed by AI tools without adequate safeguards, leaving businesses open to leaks, theft, or malicious exploitation.
“This risk is amplified by Ireland’s rapid embrace of artificial intelligence.
“Adoption has surged to 91% across the economy, with over 60% of domestic businesses and 63% of start-ups integrating AI tools into core operations.
Saceanu added: “Our team is receiving daily reports of targeted phishing campaigns that increasingly carry the fingerprints of AI: perfectly written messages, urgent executive requests, and realistic voice calls that bypass traditional defences.
“Ireland is not prepared for AI-driven cybercrime. Criminals are scaling faster than our defences, and critical national services are at risk.
“Financial services companies, central to the economy, healthcare providers and government officials face an immediate risk of social engineering scams.
“The attacks are already here, and unless Ireland acts now, we risk becoming tomorrow’s headline breach.”
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