Cofense Reports Surge in AI-Powered Phishing Threats

Cofense has reported a dramatic rise in AI-powered phishing attacks, with a new threat identified every 42 seconds in 2024, announced in a press release. The report highlights how AI is enabling threat actors to bypass traditional defenses through polymorphic phishing campaigns that adapt in real-time.

The Cofense Phishing Defense Center observed that attackers are using AI to automate malware development and personalize phishing messages, making them more convincing and harder to detect. These tactics include altering email subject lines, sender names, and content to evade signature-based detection systems.

The report also notes a significant increase in business email compromise (BEC) attacks, where AI-crafted emails mimic internal communications with high accuracy. This trend underscores the need for enhanced defense strategies that combine AI with real-time behavioral analysis to effectively counter these evolving threats.