ALT ESET researcher discovers the first known AI-written ransomware: I feel thrilled but cautious Ransomware will likely become more sophisticated, faster spreading, and harder to detect. Roman Cuprik 27 Aug 2025 • 2 min. read What has been theorized for some time has finally arrived – The first known AI-powered ransomware, dubbed PromptLock by ESET Research, is alive, luckily, as work-in-progress not an active threat. We spoke to ESET researcher Anton Cherepanov, who found the malware, about how this breakthrough discovery was made and what it means for the public.