We live in a world where Artificial Intelligence (AI) decides which emails are spam, which bank transactions are suspicious and even what news we see on Facebook. But have you ever wondered what happens if the "teacher" who trains these bots is, in fact, a criminal?
This attack is called Data Poisoning. In 2026, hackers realised that they don't need to destroy the bot, just teach it the wrong thing. At Altanet Craiova we closely follow the evolution of these technologies so that we know how to protect our customers.
What is Data Poisoning and how does it work?
AI systems, such as ChatGPT or antivirus filters, learn from huge amounts of data ("Machine Learning"). The process resembles the education of a child: if you show them thousands of pictures of cats and tell them "this is a cat", they will learn to recognise cats.
In a Data Poisoning attack, hackers infiltrate this learning phase. They deliberately feed wrong ("poisoned") data into the system. For example:
- Fooling the Antivirus: Hackers "teach" the security AI that a certain type of dangerous file is, in fact, "safe". So when the real virus attacks, the system opens the door to it, thinking it is a friend.
- Manipulating Spam: Attackers send millions of emails specially designed to confuse the spam filter at Gmail or Yahoo, making it classify dangerous messages as "Important".
Why is it a silent threat?
The worst part is that the system keeps working and gives no errors. It looks healthy, but makes wrong decisions. It is like having a guard at the gate who has been trained to let thieves in if they wear a certain hat.
For companies, the risk is immense. If a competitor "poisons" the data of an AI that sets prices or predicts sales, that company can go bankrupt by making decisions based on compromised information.
How can we protect ourselves from a manipulated AI?
Although this type of attack is very technical, the solutions involve a lot of human attention:
- Verifying data sources: Companies must not accept data "from the internet" without checking it. Cleaning the data before feeding it to the bot is essential.
- Don't rely 100% on AI: Even if you use automated tools, the human factor (Human in the Loop) remains critical. If the AI tells you a strange transaction is "ok", but your instinct says no, listen to your instinct.
- Continuous monitoring: If a system's performance suddenly drops (for example, a lot of spam emails start getting through), it is a sign that someone has tampered with the system's "instruction manual".
For a more detailed explanation of how machine learning models are affected, you can consult the article from IBM about Data Poisoning mechanisms.
Conclusion
Artificial Intelligence is a powerful but vulnerable tool. Data Poisoning reminds us that technology is only as good as the data we feed it. In 2026, the quality of information is more valuable than ever.
Does your company want to implement AI solutions or secure its existing infrastructure? Our team offers consulting and IT services adapted to the new technological challenges. Visit our contact page and let's build a safe future.
This material is part of the Altanet educational series on digital safety. Want to know what other risks you are exposed to this year? See the Complete list of cyber threats in 2026.