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    OPINION                                                                  JUNE 19, 2026     |  The Indian Eye 12

                        AI-Generated Zero-Day

            Vulnerabilities: Implications

                          for Future Warfighting

               AI-generated zero-day vulnerabilities mark a fundamental shift in the character of warfare.

             Cyber exploitation will increasingly function as a manoeuvre capability—degrading command,

                                  disrupting logistics, blinding sensors and slowing decision cycles

            KARANBIR SINGH BRAR                                                                                   vulnerabilities are hence becoming
                                                                                                                  a potent threat, especially due to the
                  ybersecurity has long been                                                                      collapse of the time between discov-
                  viewed as a support function,                                                                   ery and weaponisation.
            Clargely focused on protecting                                                                            Military organisations have his-
            military computer networks and in-                                                                    torically  relied on  patching cycles
            formation systems. This paradigm is                                                                   designed for a world in which vulner-
            now obsolete. As armed forces mod-                                                                    abilities remained unexploited for
            ernise through Artificial Intelligence                                                                months. Adversaries with automated
            (AI)-enabled platforms, autonomous                                                                    tools may now identify, exploit and
            systems, network-centric architec-                                                                    deploy even during a conflict. They
            tures, space assets, and digitally con-                                                               are not isolated technical issues or
            nected weapon systems, cybersecurity                                                                  vulnerability management; these are
            has evolved into a foundational layer                                                                 operational vulnerabilities.
            of combat power. AI is now reshap-                                                                        The Agentic Battlefield and
            ing the character of warfare itself and                                                                  Mindful Technology Infusion
            is more consequential than ever in
            the machine-speed discovery and ex-                                                                       Future operations will involve
            ploitation of software vulnerabilities.                                                               multiple interacting autonomous
                Recent demonstrations by ad-                                                                      agents responsible for ISR, logis-
            vanced AI systems such as Mythos   An ‘AI-enabled automated cyber-attack’ can generate cascading effects across every warfight-  tics, electronic warfare, targeting
            AI—which reportedly identified and                         ing domain (File photo)                    and decision support. In addition, a
            chained vulnerabilities at speeds far                                                                 large share of military capability now
            beyond traditional human-led pro-  chains, and launch attacks in hours—  against the flaw before it can be ac-  resides in Operational Technology
            cesses—provide a glimpse into a fu-  or minutes. In a Multi-Domain Op-  tively weaponised. The traditional   (OT): radars, missile systems, naval
            ture where the timeline between vul-  erations (MDO) environment where   constraint on their discovery—hu-  combat systems, satellites and battle-
            nerability  discovery  and  battlefield   land, air, maritime, cyber, space and   man expertise and time—is disap-  field sensors. All this increases the ‘At-
            exploitation may be measured in   electromagnetic effects are seam-  pearing. Modern AI tools map at-  tack Surface’ for cyber exploitation.
            hours/minutes rather than months.   lessly integrated, this shift is a direct   tack paths across millions of lines of   The emergence of AI-generated
            Even AI tools like ChatGPT-4 can   warfighting challenge. Future battles   code at machine speed, uncovering   zero-day vulnerabilities brings mili-
            exploit vulnerabilities and be exploit-  may be decided not by force size, but   not isolated bugs but chains of weak-  tary modernisation full circle. Infus-
            ed by non-state hackers. This adds a   by which side sustains command and   nesses that combine into exploitable   ing technology into warfighting must
            concerning dimension to hybrid war-  decision superiority under continu-  pathways.                   be  deliberate  and  mindful,  because
            fare, wherein targeting government,   ous automated cyber-attack.       Traditional battlefield outcomes   every digital capability introduced
            civilian infrastructure, economic   The AI Zero-Day Revolution and   were  focused  on  force  ratios,  fire-  into the force also creates a potential
            and energy grids, state apparatus/    the Algorithmic Battlefield   power, and mobility. As tech ad-  attack surface. AI-enabled command
            govt functionalities, etc., can create                              vances,  emerging  conflicts  increas-  systems, autonomous platforms, pre-
            disruption and portray the establish-  A zero-day  vulnerability is  an   ingly  rely  on  data  flows,  network   cision  navigation,  network-centric
            ment negatively.                  undisclosed  flaw  in  software,  hard-  resilience, decision latency and   operations and intelligent logistics
                Discovering a serious zero-day   ware, or firmware that threat actors   machine-assisted command. The   undoubtedly enhance combat effec-
            threat once required elite research-  can  exploit.  It  gets  the  name  ‘zero   modern battlefield is now becoming   tiveness, but they also increase de-
            ers and months of effort. Advanced   day’ because developers and security   an ecosystem of sensors, platforms,   pendence  on  software,  connectivity
            AI systems now scan codebases,    vendors have had exactly zero days to   communications, AI models and   and data.
            identify  weaknesses, build  exploit   identify, patch, or prepare a defence   decision-support systems. Zero-day   Continued on next page... >>

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