What AI phishing is and how to protect yourself

What is AI phishing?

AI phishing is a type of cyberattack where criminals use artificial intelligence to create fake emails, texts, or calls that trick people into sharing personal information or money. These attacks use AI to gather information about potential victims from the internet and create personalized scams that seem real.

In AI phishing attacks, generative AI is used to create more sophisticated types of phishing scams. These AI scams range from creating fake emails that look like they’re from people you trust to impersonating friends or family members through video calls. As AI tools become easier to use, more criminals are choosing these methods over traditional scams.

How does AI phishing work?

With the help of artificial intelligence tools, criminals can create more convincing phishing messages and emails by analyzing and generating content based on publicly available information about their targets.

AI programs learn by studying your social media profiles and other online information about you. This personal data helps them create fake messages that sound realistic and trustworthy.

The biggest danger is how personal these scams can be. AI can quickly scan through tons of information online to create scams tailored to specific individuals.

Types of AI-powered phishing attacks

AI-powered phishing is a step above poorly misspelled phishing emails that may have been manually written by bad actors. Attackers still use familiar channels, such as email, SMS, or voice calls, but with greater sophistication. 

AI-generated phishing emails

AI-generated phishing emails use advanced computer programs that can write like humans. Using information gathered from social media, attackers create emails that feel authentic and sound like they come from someone you know. Criminals use AI writing tools to automatically create and send thousands of convincing fake emails to potential victims.

Deepfake phishing

Deepfake phishing uses AI to create fake videos or audio recordings of people you trust, tricking you into sharing personal information or sending money. Deepfake technology continues to become more sophisticated, making these types of phishing attempts increasingly difficult to spot. 

AI-enhanced vishing

AI-enhanced vishing (voice phishing) uses AI-driven voice synthesis and speech recognition technology to impersonate someone over the phone or through voice messages. AI technology lets criminals create convincing copies of real people’s voices, making vishing much harder to spot. These attacks often use a sense of urgency (such as fake security alerts) to pressure the victim into providing sensitive information.

Polymorphic phishing campaigns

These smart phishing campaigns use AI to constantly change their fake emails so security software can’t recognize them. By changing the wording, sender names, and harmful code each time, these scams can sneak past most email security systems. As these AI tools become easier to access, criminals can create more of these changing scams that avoid detection.

Why is AI phishing more dangerous than traditional phishing?

AI phishing may share the same basic tactics as traditional phishing, but it’s more dangerous due to two factors: ease of deployment and advanced personalization. AI helps attackers rapidly generate and distribute large volumes of messages while tailoring content to each target. This combination makes AI phishing one of the biggest new threats people face online.

Traditional phishing vs. AI phishing

A key difference between AI phishing vs. traditional phishing attempts is the sophistication of content.

• Traditional phishing often includes generic references or obvious errors and generally won’t hold up under close inspection.
• AI phishing attacks draw on publicly available and verifiable information about you (like purchasing habits and social media posts) to craft messages that are highly believable and contextually relevant.

How to identify AI phishing attacks

Fortunately, many of the red flags that help identify traditional phishing attempts still apply to AI-driven attacks.

Unusual sender behavior or communication patterns

Does the sender of the message usually contact you in this way, or is the message unexpected? Verifying the communication through another method (like calling the sender directly after getting an email or confirming with them in person) can help determine if the message you got was genuine.

Too much focus on specific details

Phishing scams that use AI often mention specific facts about you, like posts you’ve shared on social media or information from data breaches. This approach makes the message seem personal and trustworthy, but these details are usually just information criminals found about you online rather than proof the sender really knows you.

Lacking context or natural dynamic

Messages that sound awkward, use the wrong tone, or arrive unexpectedly might be AI-generated scams. These fake messages often pressure you to act immediately because they rely on your trust in the supposed sender. Check whether the message includes context unique to your relationship with the sender.

What to do if you fall victim to AI phishing

If you do end up falling victim to an AI phishing attempt, follow the same processes that you would normally take for any successful phishing attack:

• Inform the relevant people. Notify family members and contact your bank or credit card companies if you gave away financial information.
• Secure your data. Reset your passwords and check your account activity for anything suspicious, such as unfamiliar logins, transactions you didn’t make, or messages you didn’t send. Focus on your banking and email accounts first since these are often the main targets.
• Close any security gaps. Check what information is publicly visible on your social media accounts and make your profiles private if needed. Consider what personal details you share online, like check-ins at locations, photos with identifying information, or posts about your work or purchases. The less personal information available publicly, the harder it is for scammers to create convincing fake messages targeting you.

How to protect yourself from AI phishing

Protecting yourself from AI phishing means more than just spotting fake messages. You need to build habits that make these attacks less likely to work.

Enable multi-factor authentication (MFA)

Multi-factor authentication adds extra security that’s difficult for AI scams to get around. Always enable MFA on your accounts, especially those with access to highly sensitive information.

Verify unusual requests through separate channels

If you receive a message that you’re not expecting or find odd, always verify the message’s contents and sender using an independent communication channel. For example, call the actual sender through a verified contact method or report the message to the platform where you received it (like your email provider) or to relevant authorities.

Update your devices and software

Criminals target outdated software because it doesn’t have the latest security updates needed to block new AI scams. Make sure to update your devices and apps when prompted to get the latest protection against these threats.

The future of AI phishing

AI phishing is becoming the top choice for criminals, and these attacks will likely become more common. Fortunately, security solutions like NordProtect can help strengthen your online security.

Aside from using security tools, just being aware of these scams and how they work helps keep you safe. Not falling for AI phishing scams or phone scams can help reduce your risk of more serious attacks like identity theft while improving your overall security environment.