| By now, it is essential for everyone to be familiar with the concept of phishing emails. These deceptive messages are intentionally crafted to deceive recipients into divulging sensitive information or falling prey to malicious links. However, the advent of the new era of ChatGPT and AI technology has the potential to exacerbate the situation, surpassing the already significant challenges we have faced in the past. In light of this, I aim to provide you with up-to-date insights from the front lines, assisting in fine-tuning your hacker radar. Together, we can fortify our defenses and ensure that these threats remain firmly outside our digital thresholds.
In addition to next generation cybersecurity tools we utilize to protect your business, keeping up with the latest tactics employed by hackers is a necessity to stay safe. Our strongest defense against any adversary lies in education. This week, my focus will be on providing insights into the ever-evolving threat landscape and the strategies adopted by malicious actors. If you require a refresher on how best to utilize our cybersecurity stack, please feel free to reach out to us at any time for a presentation.
According to Zscaler, a cloud-security provider, phishing attacks worldwide witnessed a nearly 50% increase in 2022 compared to the previous year. Common belief among cybersecurity experts is that AI has facilitated the big jump of such attacks. Traditional methods of identifying phishing attempts, like spotting spelling or grammar errors, are no longer effective. Language is no longer a barrier for hackers globally. With AI’s capability to generate articulate and grammatically correct messages in multiple languages, as well as mimic the writing or speaking styles of individuals, phishing attacks gain more credibility and wider reach. Advanced language models can successfully emulate human communication styles, enabling AI programs to replicate the correspondence of individuals. When I can convince you that I am one of you, your level of trust increases while skepticism diminishes. Moreover, AI can swiftly identify industry-specific terminology, equipping hackers with enhanced precision to target specific sectors.
AI can also aids in creating targeted attacks. Machine learning technology can assist in determining the most suitable targets within an organization and the most effective methods to exploit them. For instance, an innocent social media post by and employee can be scraped and analyzed to ascertain their roles and ongoing projects. This information can then be weaponized to contact other employees, extracting sensitive data or enticing them to open an infected document masked as a project report.
Hopefully being aware of such possibilities made possible by AI will help you carry on with a healthy does of skepticism. Always ask yourself, why is my bank emailing me? Why is there a sense of urgency? Why is there an attachment? Verify the authenticity of any suspicious request independently. This means contacting the individual directly or physically approaching their desk to confirm the legitimacy before clicking on a link, opening an unsolicited report, or making any money transfers.
While the situation will get worse before it gets better, hang tight. Discussions on legislation are underway, and the private sector is diligently leveraging AI to identify and intercept malicious emails before they reach your inbox. Until then, continue to equip yourself with knowledge and rely on CTS Care to handle the rest.
– Burak Sarac, Team Lead
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