These days, I keep hearing the same thing from friends, social media, and random posts online. People say, “I do not know how to code, but I am building apps and websites using AI and making money.”
At first, it sounds exciting. And to be honest, it is. AI has made it easier than ever to build something quickly. You can create a website or even a full app in a short time. But here is the problem. This trend can be very dangerous. I am not against using AI. It is a powerful tool. Anyone can use it to build something useful. But building something is only half of the job. The most important part is security. If you do not know how to code, there is a high chance you also do not understand how to secure your application. You may not know where the weaknesses are. You may not know how attackers think. And if you do not know how to close those gaps, someone else will find them. And trust me, they will find them very quickly.
My Personal Experience
Let me share something that happened to me. I had a website in my home lab. It was running locally, so it was not exposed to the internet. Everything was fine. One day, I decided to make it public. Within 24 hours, I started seeing brute force attacks. That means someone was trying different usernames and passwords repeatedly to break into the site. Thankfully, I had taken some basic precautions. I did not use “admin” as a username. I also had a lockout feature that blocked any IP address after three failed login attempts. I made the site public on Wednesday. By Thursday morning, I already had alerts showing failed login attempts. I secured the login page further. But that was not the end. The next day, attackers found another weak point in the site and tried to exploit it. I had to fix that issue as well. Today, they still cannot reach my login page. But I continue to see thousands of attempts trying to break into my website.
This is the reality of the internet. The moment something becomes public, it becomes a target.
The Bigger Risk You May Not See
Now think about this. If you build an app or website using AI and you do not understand security, you could be exposing much more than just your work. If someone gains access, they can do things like:
- Steal user data
- Create fake accounts
- Abuse your system for illegal activity
- Use your server to launch attacks on others
And if you are running a business or selling that app, things can get even worse. If your product gets hacked and user data is exposed, you could face legal trouble. You could lose trust. You could lose everything you built.
It Happens Faster Than You Think
Many people believe hackers target only big companies. That is not true. Most attacks are automated. Bots scan the internet looking for weak websites and apps. They do not care who you are. If your system is weak, it becomes an easy target. I have seen it myself. I made my site public, and within hours, it was under attack. If my setup were weak, it would have been compromised the same day.
A Simple Way to Understand It
Think of it like this. Building a website without security is like building a beautiful house with weak doors and windows. It may look perfect from the outside, but anyone can walk in. No locks. No alarms. No protection. Would you live in a house like that? Then why put your app or website online like that?
So What Should You Do?
I am not saying you should stop using AI. Use it. Learn from it. Build with it. But do not depend on it completely. If you are serious about web or app development, start with the basics. Learn how things work behind the scenes. Understand authentication, input validation, and common security risks. Once you have that foundation, AI becomes a helpful tool. Without that foundation, it becomes a risky shortcut.
Final Thoughts
There is nothing wrong with building something for learning or internal use. That is a great way to grow. But if you plan to make it public, take security seriously. Because the internet is not a safe place by default. And once something goes wrong, fixing the damage is much harder than preventing it.