Loading story…
Organizations across industries are facing a surge in email-based attacks, with phishing, impersonation, and account takeover attempts driving a significant increase in breaches. Attackers are leveraging email as the primary entry point, with malware delivered via email rising by over 130% year-over-year and scams and phishing incidents also seeing substantial growth. The manufacturing, retail, and healthcare sectors are particularly targeted, with attackers exploiting outdated systems and user behavior to bypass security controls, resulting in business disruption, data loss, and financial fraud.
At the same time, advancements in AI-driven technologies such as voice cloning are making social engineering attacks even more effective. Red teaming exercises have demonstrated that AI-enabled deepfakes can convincingly impersonate employees, tricking help desks into resetting credentials and granting unauthorized access. These sophisticated vishing attacks highlight the urgent need for organizations to test their defenses against both traditional and emerging social engineering techniques, and to educate staff on recognizing and responding to these evolving threats.
Mallory correlates global threat intelligence with your attack surface — know if you’re exposed before adversaries strike.
5 events from the most recent confirmed update back to the earliest known activity.
Security reporting highlighted that AI-generated content was making phishing and business email compromise messages more convincing and more difficult for employees to identify. It also noted that only about 1% of malicious emails now deliver malware, underscoring a shift toward social-engineering-heavy attacks.
Attackers increasingly used response-based social engineering tactics such as callback phishing while traditional link-based phishing declined. Vendor email compromise also grew, with attackers attempting to steal more than $300 million over the year.
Reporting indicates manufacturing was the most targeted industry for email-based attacks, followed by retail and healthcare. The same reporting notes healthcare's outdated systems and weak security practices as factors worsening exposure.
A reported 78% of organizations experienced an email breach in the previous 12 months, with phishing, impersonation, and account takeover cited as the most common attack types. These incidents often led to follow-on impacts such as ransomware infections or data loss.
TechTarget published a case study on a real-world AI voice-cloning attack framed as a red-teaming exercise. No additional dated incident details were provided in the reference content.
2 references tracked. Mallory keeps watching after this page renders.
Map indicators from this story to your assets and identify affected systems in minutes.
Every observed campaign, victim, and pivot linked to actors named in this story.
Malware, exploits, and IOCs connected to the activity described here.
YARA, Sigma, and Snort rules deployed to your SIEM as soon as they’re published.
Get matching new stories delivered to your team as they break — not the next morning.
Ask questions about this story and take action on the answers.
Other stories Mallory is tracking that overlap on entities, sources, or topic labels.
Security researchers and industry experts are warning of a dramatic escalation in phishing and social engineering attacks, driven by the adoption of AI by both attackers and defenders. Reports highlight that threat actors are leveraging AI to craft highly targeted, convincing phishing emails, automate attack campaigns, and reduce the time from initial compromise to full breach to under an hour. Human Resources-themed phishing, especially termination and compensation adjustment lures, have surged in Q3 and Q4, exploiting employee trust and urgency. Security teams are urged to maintain a human-in-the-loop approach, as over-reliance on AI for detection can create blind spots, and context-driven analysis is now essential to counter increasingly sophisticated tactics. Technical research and incident analysis reveal that attackers are using a variety of new techniques, including voicemail lures, open redirects, and legitimate hosting platforms to bypass traditional email security controls. The rise of mobile device attacks, supply chain threats via malicious apps, and the use of AI prompt injection in CI/CD pipelines further expand the attack surface. Experts recommend organizations strengthen mobile security, enrich detection with threat intelligence, and ensure skilled analysts remain involved in incident response to keep pace with the evolving threat landscape.
Jun 29, 2026
Cybercriminals are increasingly leveraging artificial intelligence and advanced social engineering techniques to conduct sophisticated phishing campaigns targeting both individuals and organizations. Recent reports highlight a surge in phishing attacks that utilize AI and machine learning to craft highly personalized and convincing lures, making detection more challenging for traditional security tools. Attackers are now able to scrape social media for personal data, generate emails in a target’s native language, and automate the creation of malicious content, all with minimal effort. One notable campaign tracked since February targets social media and marketing professionals by impersonating well-known brands such as Tesla, Red Bull, and Ferrari, enticing victims to upload resumes under the guise of job opportunities. These emails employ subtle psychological tactics, such as reducing urgency to build trust, and use multi-step processes to create an illusion of legitimacy. Another observed campaign used AI to obfuscate malicious payloads within SVG files, making them harder for security filters to detect. In this case, attackers sent phishing emails from compromised small business accounts, posing as file-sharing notifications, and used self-addressed email tactics to bypass basic detection heuristics. If recipients opened the attached file, they were redirected to credential-stealing websites. Microsoft researchers noted that the complexity and structure of the malicious code suggested it was generated by a large language model, rather than written by a human. The adoption of AI by threat actors is part of a broader trend, with both defenders and attackers racing to outpace each other in the use of transformative technologies. Security experts emphasize the importance of a layered defense, recommending strong passwords, multi-factor authentication, regular software updates, and ongoing user training to identify and report suspicious content. The rise of AI-driven phishing has increased the frequency and sophistication of attacks, with some security centers now detecting a malicious email every 42 seconds. Organizations are urged to remain vigilant, as even basic threat actors can now execute complex attacks with the help of AI tools. The evolving threat landscape underscores the need for proactive monitoring, rapid incident response, and continuous education to mitigate the risks posed by these advanced phishing campaigns. As attackers continue to refine their methods, defenders must adapt by leveraging AI for detection and response, and by fostering a security-aware culture among users. The convergence of AI and phishing represents a significant escalation in cyber risk, demanding heightened attention from both technical and non-technical stakeholders.
Jul 12, 2026
Artificial intelligence is significantly amplifying the effectiveness and scale of social engineering attacks, particularly phishing and business email compromise (BEC). Reports indicate a 1,200% global surge in phishing attacks since the advent of generative AI, with AI-powered spear phishing achieving a 47% success rate even against trained security professionals. Organizations are increasingly concerned about AI-driven threats, with recent surveys showing that artificial intelligence has overtaken ransomware as the top concern for security leaders. AI enables attackers to craft highly personalized, error-free phishing messages and adapt in real time to targets' responses, making traditional detection methods less effective. The financial impact is substantial, with BEC attacks costing organizations $2.77 billion in 2024 alone. Security experts emphasize the need for organizations to understand and adapt to these evolving threats. Defensive strategies include raising awareness of AI-enhanced attack techniques, implementing advanced email filtering, and fostering a culture of vigilance among employees. While AI is a powerful tool for attackers, it is also being leveraged by defenders to automate detection and response, highlighting the importance of continuous adaptation in cybersecurity practices. The landscape is rapidly shifting, and organizations must prioritize proactive measures to mitigate the risks posed by AI-driven social engineering campaigns.
Jun 29, 2026