So, a few weeks ago, I was doing a security test for a client — a simple finance app with login, dashboard, and payment features. Nothing too crazy. I’ve done this kind of thing a hundred times.
But this time, I had something new in my toolkit — AI.
Not some fancy robot. Just a bunch of smart tools powered by artificial intelligence. And let me tell you… it completely changed the game.
Let’s Start with Recon (Finding Info)
Usually, I start by doing reconnaissance, which means gathering information. Normally that takes hours — looking for hidden subdomains, leaked files, GitHub mistakes — boring and slow.
But I tried a tool called ReconAI, and wow.
In minutes, it found a forgotten staging server, a public S3 bucket with files inside, and even API keys just hanging out online. Not only did it find them, it told me which ones were actually risky.
It felt like I had a junior hacker sitting beside me doing the boring parts, but super fast.
Then Came Fuzzing — But Smarter
Next step was fuzzing — basically throwing test data at inputs to see if anything breaks.
Normally, this means using a fuzzer that just sends random junk. But with AI fuzzing (I used one called FuzzNet), it was different. It watched how the app responded, then adjusted the payloads.
Guess what? It found a sneaky SQL Injection behind a WAF. It learned and attacked like a real hacker.
That’s when I realized — this isn’t just automation. This is intelligent hacking.
The Mobile App? AI Had That Too
The client also gave us a mobile app to test. APK file in hand, I used an AI tool called CodeEye.
I uploaded the file, went to get coffee, came back — and boom. The AI found:
- Weak encryption
- Secret keys in the code
- A hidden admin login
It gave clear reasons too. I didn’t even need to dig through the code line-by-line.
Now the Best Part: Report Writing
Let’s be honest — writing the report is the most boring part of a pentest. But this time, I tried SecReportBot, an AI that writes your findings for you.
It added screenshots, ranked the issues, and even gave fix recommendations in plain English. I just reviewed and tweaked a few things, and it was done.
What normally takes me 4 hours… took 40 minutes.
But Here’s the Scary Side…
Everything I just told you — hackers can do too.
Imagine an attacker using AI to:
- Write perfect phishing emails
- Scan the internet 100x faster
- Create malware that changes shape to avoid detection
Yeah… spooky.
That’s why we, as ethical hackers, need to use AI before attackers do. It’s not a choice anymore. It’s a race.
These Are the AI Tools I Use Now
Here’s my shortlist from the test:
ReconAI – For smart information gathering
FuzzNet – Adaptive fuzzing that learns
CodeEye – Code and APK analyzer
SecReportBot – Report generator with suggestions
These tools didn’t replace me — they supercharged me.
Final Thoughts
AI isn’t the future of pentesting — it’s already here. It’s fast, it’s smart, and it’s changing how we work.
If you’re in cybersecurity, don’t ignore it. Learn how to use it. Play with these tools. You’ll thank yourself later.
