Artificial intelligence is significantly enhancing the capabilities of cybercriminals, enabling them to craft more convincing and effective phishing emails, according to a security executive. This development poses a growing threat to businesses and individuals alike, as these attacks become increasingly sophisticated.
Phishing emails remain the primary entry point for the vast majority of successful cyber attacks. The rising sophistication of these attacks is driving up the costs associated with data breaches, which have reached an average of $4.9 million globally in 2024.
Experts highlight AI’s role in creating advanced business email compromise scams, where fraudsters manipulate targets into transferring funds or revealing sensitive information. Such scams have cost victims worldwide over $50 billion since 2013, according to the FBI.
Beyond phishing, AI is being utilized to identify vulnerabilities in both software code and human behavior, stated a cybersecurity lead at PwC. This broad application of AI further increases the threat landscape for both organizations and individuals.
Moreover, AI-driven phishing attacks are proving more elusive, capable of bypassing traditional email filters and security training protocols. Basic filters, which rely on identifying repeated campaigns, struggle against AI’s ability to rapidly produce variations of phishing messages.
