Artificial intelligence (AI) is revolutionizing multiple industries, but it has also changed the tactics used by cybercriminals.
Phishing attacks, which were once easy to identify, have evolved significantly with the help of AI, making them harder to detect and allowing even the most experienced employees to fall victim.
Kaspersky explores how AI is transforming phishing techniques and why traditional methods of defense may not be enough.
A Rise in Cyberattacks: Phishing as a Leading Threat
A recent study by Kaspersky in the Middle East, Turkey, and Africa (META) revealed a shocking rise in cyberattacks, with organizations reporting a nearly 48% increase in the past year.
Phishing attacks have emerged as the most prevalent threat, with over 51% of respondents indicating that they had encountered such incidents.
As AI continues to empower cybercriminals, 53% of respondents predict a sharp increase in the number of phishing attacks in the near future. This trend underscores the growing challenge of securing digital environments against AI-enhanced threats.
AI-Powered Personalization: A New Era of Targeted Phishing
Phishing attacks have shifted from generic, mass-sent messages to highly personalized emails, thanks to AI. By using publicly available data from social media, job boards, and company websites, cybercriminals are now able to craft phishing emails that mimic the style, tone, and context of legitimate communications.
For example, a CFO might receive a convincing email from a CEO, referencing recent company events, making it difficult for employees to distinguish between legitimate and malicious messages.
The Dangers of Deepfake Technology in Phishing Scams
AI’s ability to create deepfakes has become a powerful tool for cybercriminals. Deepfake audio and video can now convincingly replicate the voices and faces of executives, enabling fraudsters to impersonate company leaders.
One notable case involved attackers using a deepfake to impersonate multiple employees during a video conference, convincing an individual to transfer $25.6 million.
As deepfake technology improves, it is expected that such attacks will increase in frequency and sophistication, posing a serious threat to businesses.
Bypassing Traditional Defenses: AI-Driven Phishing’s New Tactics
AI also enables cybercriminals to bypass traditional email filtering systems by analyzing and mimicking legitimate communication patterns.
Machine learning algorithms allow for the continuous refinement of phishing attacks in real-time, increasing their success rates.
As phishing techniques grow more advanced, security systems must evolve to keep up with these increasingly sophisticated threats.
Why Experience Alone Isn’t Enough to Avoid Falling Victim
Even seasoned employees are falling prey to these advanced phishing techniques. AI’s ability to mimic the subtleties of normal communication makes it easier for employees to trust fraudulent messages, overriding their natural skepticism.
Additionally, AI-driven phishing often exploits psychological triggers, such as urgency, fear, or authority, pressuring individuals to act without verifying the authenticity of requests.
Combatting AI-Enhanced Phishing: A Multi-Layered Defense Approach
Organizations must adopt a proactive, multi-layered strategy to combat AI-powered phishing attacks. Regular training focused on AI-driven cybersecurity threats is crucial, ensuring that employees can recognize the subtle signs of phishing.
Kaspersky’s Automated Security Awareness Platform is an example of a tool that can help with such training. Alongside this.
businesses should implement robust security solutions like Kaspersky Next and Kaspersky Security for Mail Server to detect phishing attempts by analyzing anomalies in email content, such as unusual writing patterns or suspicious metadata.
A zero-trust security model is also essential in limiting the damage of a successful attack. By restricting access to sensitive data and systems, a zero-trust approach ensures that even if an attacker gains access to one layer of the network, they cannot easily compromise the entire system.
Together, these strategies provide a comprehensive defense against AI-enhanced phishing.
