Vishing and deep fake Phishing attacks are on the rise as attackers leverage GenAI to amplify social engineering tactics, according to Zscaler.
AI automates and personalizes various aspects of the attack process
AI-based phishing attacks leverage AI tools to improve the sophistication and effectiveness of phishing campaigns. AI automates and personalizes various aspects of the attack process, making phishing even more difficult to detect. For example, chatbots are commonly used to create very convincing and error-free phishing emails.
By leveraging AI algorithms, malicious actors can quickly analyze large data sets to tailor their attacks and easily replicate legitimate communications and websites with alarming accuracy. This level of sophistication allows phishers to fool even the most savvy users.
By eliminating spelling mistakes and grammatical errors, GénAI The tools improve the credibility of phishing communications. Additionally, GenAI can quickly create sophisticated phishing pages or expand its capabilities to generate malware and Ransomware for secondary attacks.
“Phishing remains a persistent and often underestimated threat in the cybersecurity landscape, which is becoming increasingly sophisticated as threat actors exploit cutting-edge advances in generative AI and manipulate trusted platforms to intensify attacks,” said Deepen the DesaiCSO and head of security research.
“In this context, the latest insights from ThreatLabz are more crucial than ever to inform our strategies and strengthen defenses against phishing. These findings highlight the need for organizations to adopt a proactive, multi-layered approach that integrates a robust zero trust architecture with advanced AI-based phishing prevention controls to effectively counter these evolving threats,” added Desai .
Countries with the most phishing attempts
In 2023, the United States (55.9%), United Kingdom (5.6%), and India (3.9%) have become the top countries targeted by phishing scams. The high frequency of phishing in the United States is attributable to its advanced digital infrastructure, its large number of users connected to the Internet, and its extensive use of online financial transactions.
Canada (2.9%) and Germany (2.8%) complete the top five countries with the most phishing attempts. The majority of phishing attacks come from the US, UK and Russia, while Australia entered the top 10 due to a 479% year-on-year increase in volume of phishing content hosted in the country.
The finance and insurance sector saw the highest number of phishing attempts, representing a 393% increase in attacks compared to the previous year. The use of digital financial platforms provides malicious actors with numerous opportunities to conduct phishing campaigns and exploit vulnerabilities in this sector.
The manufacturing sector also saw a significant increase (31%) in phishing attacks between 2022 and 2023, highlighting the growing awareness of the sector’s vulnerability. As manufacturing processes become increasingly reliant on digital systems and interconnected technologies such as IoT/OT, the risk of exploitation by malicious actors seeking unauthorized access or disruption also increases.
Microsoft remains the most imitated brand
ThreatLabz researchers identified corporate brands such as Microsoft, OneDrive, Okta, Adobe and SharePoint as prime targets for identity theft due to their widespread use and the value associated with acquiring corporate information. identification of users for these platforms.
Microsoft (43%) comes first imitated company brand in 2023, with its OneDrive (12%) and SharePoint (3%) platforms also ranking in the top five, posing lucrative targets for cybercriminals looking to exploit Microsoft’s vast user base.
Adversary-in-the-middle (AiTM) attacks remain a persistent threat, and browser-in-the-browser (BiTB) attacks are now on the rise. These tactics directly target web browser users, making them more difficult to detect and mitigate.
Tech support scams and QR CAPTCHA scams were among the most prevalent types of attacks in 2023, exploiting user trust in tech support services and the widespread use of QR Codes.
For this report, Zscaler ThreatLabz analyzed 2 billion phishing transactions blocked between January and December 2023, exploring various aspects including top phishing attacks, targeted countries, countries hosting phishing content, distribution of types of companies based on the IP addresses of the servers and the main referrers. linked to these phishing attacks.
