AI-Powered Social Engineering: The Evolving Cyber Threat

Social engineering attacks have long been a favoured tactic for cybercriminals, but AI is transforming how these threats are deployed. 
 
With AI’s ability to analyze vast data sets, mimic human behaviour, and automate attacks, social engineering schemes have become more sophisticated, adaptive, and convincing.
  
AI enables personalized phishing, crafting messages based on a target’s social media activity, employment details, and interests. 
 
Tools like ChatGPT and Gemini create grammatically flawless emails in any language, tailored to individual recipients. Meanwhile, deepfake technology is being weaponized to impersonate executives and trusted business contacts, coercing employees into revealing sensitive information or transferring funds.

 
The rise of agentic AI, capable of acting autonomously, further escalates risks. 
 
Unlike traditional AI, which requires specific prompts, agentic AI learns from interactions, refines phishing tactics, and executes complex multi-stage attacks. 
 
It can dynamically adjust messages based on responses, follow up with urgent emails or deepfake calls, and coordinate attacks across multiple communication channels like email, SMS, and social media.
 
Cybercriminals are already experimenting with automated spear phishing, where AI autonomously gathers data, crafts messages, and distributes them until a successful breach occurs. 
 
Multi-modal social engineering tactics leverage various platforms to increase effectiveness, while multi-stage campaigns use small bits of acquired information to execute more advanced attacks over time.
 
Organizations must fight AI with AI by deploying AI-driven cybersecurity tools that detect anomalies, monitor attack patterns, and respond in real time. 
 
AI-based security awareness training should dynamically adapt to evolving threats, using risk scores and real-world simulations to educate employees. 
 
Fostering a cybersecurity culture through regular training and vigilance is essential, as AI-driven threats will only grow more autonomous and sophisticated in the coming years.
 
By 2028, a third of AI interactions will involve autonomous agents, and cybercriminals will exploit these advancements. 
 
Businesses must act now, leveraging AI-powered defenses to stay ahead in the ever-evolving cyber threat landscape.

Ms. S Mohini Ratna - Editor VARINDIA