ESET Report: Malicious AI Skills and PromptSpy Android Malware Surge
ESET's H1 2026 threat report documents a surge in malicious AI skills and the discovery of PromptSpy, the first Android malware using generative AI to adapt across devices. The research shows attackers are rapidly incorporating AI into cyberattacks, including social engineering campaigns and ransomware, expanding the threat landscape.",antml:parameter> <parameter name="event_date">2026-05
What happened
ESET Research analyzed nearly 900,000 AI skills—small functional components used by AI agents—from December 2025 through May 2026 and identified tens of thousands of suspicious and thousands of outright malicious instances.
ESET researchers identified PromptSpy, the first known Android malware to use generative AI in its execution flow, which leverages Google's Gemini to interpret user interface elements and adapt across devices without relying on hardcoded behavior.
ClickFix, a social engineering technique leveraging fake error messages, expanded into AI-themed help pages, browser extensions, and cloud authentication scenarios, with ESET detections more than doubling between H2 2025 and H1 2026.
Reported impact
The growing number of malicious AI skills and AI-powered malware expands the attack surface and demonstrates how attackers are improving the efficiency and scalability of their operations.
PromptSpy illustrates the potential for increased flexibility in future threats, allowing malware to adapt across different devices and environments without hardcoded behavior.
Index analysis
ESET researchers noted that while guardrails against abuse included in large language models are likely slowing adoption of AI in malware, attackers are rapidly adapting established techniques to new platforms, technologies, and user behaviors.
The emergence of AI-powered ransomware in 2025 followed by PromptSpy's discovery in 2026 demonstrates a trend of incorporating AI capabilities into malware to improve adaptability and reduce detection.
Classification
Sources and evidence
This record was researched and written by the Index, based on the following original reporting.