Recognizing a Phishing Email in the Age of Artificial Intelligence

It’s hard to believe that phishing has persisted for over 20 years and still remains one of the most effective methods for hackers to breach organizations. Despite advancements in cybersecurity, phishing continues to thrive, driven by increasingly sophisticated tactics that exploit human susceptibility to social engineering.

Phishing in 2024: A Look at the Trends

Did you know that there has been a 341% increase from 2023 to 2024 in dangerous phishing emails? In fact, this increase in malicious emails has led to a staggering almost 30% increase in business emails becoming compromised. When business emails are compromised, the consequences are even more far-reaching. 

As artificial intelligence (AI) becomes harder to discern and more effective, phishing emails are becoming more sophisticated and harder to identify. However, training your staff to identify phishing emails and trends has never been easier or more important. Keep reading to learn which phishing email trends are most popular in 2024. 

What Does Phishing Mean? 

Phishing is a form of social engineering where attackers trick individuals into revealing personal information or credentials. This often happens through deceptive emails that appear to originate from trusted sources. Clicking on malicious links or downloading infected attachments can lead to stolen data, malware infections, or unauthorized access to systems.

Modern phishing goes beyond basic scams, with over ten distinct social engineering tactics now in use. These different phishing tactics include spear phishing, vishing, smishing, and more. Awareness of these evolving tactics is critical to protecting yourself and your organization.

Recognizing Phishing Emails

Phishing emails today are increasingly difficult to detect. Threat actors now leverage tools like AI-generated content and Phishing-as-a-Service kits to create polished, convincing campaigns. 

Here are some indicators of a phishing email, but remember, not every phishing email will have an obvious tell, so it’s important to always consider the source. 

Common Indicators of a Phishing Email:

1. From Line Red Flags:
   • Unfamiliar or suspicious email addresses.
   • Domains that are misspelled, hyphenated, or slightly altered.
   • There is a lack of expected contact details in the email signature.
2. Hyperlink Tricks:
   • Hovering over a hyperlink reveals a mismatched or suspicious destination.
   • Links are excessively long, misspelled, or shortened without context.
   • Hyperlinks redirect to websites that mimic legitimate brands but are hosted on malicious domains.
3. Subject Line Scams:
   • Urgent requests or threatening language.
   • Generic or vague salutations like "Dear Valued Customer."
   • Messages prompting action to "verify" or "unblock" accounts.
4. Attachment Anomalies:
   • Attachments disguised as documents but actually carrying malicious payloads.
   • Use of XLL add-ins or encrypted attachments from untrusted senders.
5. Content and Imagery Clues:
   • Embedded images with malicious links.
   • Absence of personalized details or context-specific information.
   • Poorly matched email signatures or omitted signatures altogether.

The Role of AI in Modern Phishing

Threat actors are increasingly using generative AI to craft phishing emails. These tools mimic a trusted brand's tone, language, and style, making detection even harder. Pair this with fake websites that replicate the design of legitimate ones, and you have a nearly seamless deception.

Example of AI-Generated Phishing:

AI-powered emails often lack glaring spelling or grammar errors and match the professional tone of businesses like PayPal or Microsoft. The links in these emails appear trustworthy at a glance, yet they lead to malicious sites. 

So, how can you protect yourself against a sophisticated AI-generated phishing email? 

How to Stop Phishing Emails: Strengthen Your Defense 

To stay ahead of phishing threats, you need to take a comprehensive and multi-faceted approach. This includes: 

Regularly Conduct Employee Training

Conduct frequent cybersecurity awareness training sessions that teach your staff practical exercises on identifying phishing attempts. 

You could also semi-regularly test your staff by sending out phishing emails to the company and observing the click-through rate. While your staff will inevitably not enjoy being duped, this is a vital way to collect data about what types of phishing attacks your company is most susceptible to. 

Check out this blog on the top ten phishing email types for ideas. 

It’s also very important to teach your employees to be wary of downloading attachments. If they receive an email with an attachment, have them verify the email address is a trusted source. If it’s from a fellow staff member, have them text or chat with them to verify it’s a real attachment. 

Assess Your Email Security

Have your staff enable settings to block XLL add-ins and encrypted attachments. This is a great way to weed out the majority of malicious attachments. You can also use tools to detect spoofed domains or unauthenticated emails. If you turn on this feature, most email platforms will now create an alert if an email is coming from an unauthenticated sender. 

It’s important that you regularly update email filtering and your anti-malware software. Be sure to disable/redirect unused employee accounts so scammers can’t get access to them. Foster a culture in your company of reporting suspicious emails by educating your staff so they know what process exists for escalating phishing threats. 

Final Thoughts

Phishing is no longer the crude, easily-spotted scam it once was. Today, cybercriminals are using cutting-edge tools and tactics like artificial intelligence to deceive even the most cautious staff members. However, staying informed and leveraging modern tools can significantly reduce your risk of falling victim to a phishing email campaign.

Remember, the best defense against email phishing is a combination of awareness, vigilance, and robust technical controls. Be sure to equip your team with the knowledge and resources to spot phishing attempts before they succeed.

Are you curious about what research is currently being done on the role of AI in phishing? Subscribe to the SecurityMetrics Threat Intelligence Feed and check out these additional resources:

UTA researchers work to prevent AI phishing scams

Cybercriminals are using generative AI like ChatGPT and Bing to refine their phishing attacks on you

'Conversation Overflow' Cyberattacks Bypass AI Security to Target Execs