How AI helped in a 40% rise in phishing attacks in 2023

Kaspersky's anti-phishing system stopped 709 million phishing attempts in 2023, a 40% increase from the previous year. Attacks exploited messaging apps, AI platforms, social media, and cryptocurrency exchanges. The threat landscape included travel-related scams, GPT chats, counterfeit websites, and attacks spread via Telegram.
TOI Tech Desk
  • Updated On Mar 14, 2024 at 10:37 AM IST
Read by: 100 Industry Professionals
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Hackers pose as legitimate sources to trap victims in phishing attacks. Cybersecurity firm Kaspersky's anti-phishing system claims to have stopped 709 million attempts from phishing and scam websites in 2023, The company also noted that these attacks have increased by 40% compared to the previous year's figures. As per the report, the most frequently used pathways that were exploited by threat actors to scam users included messaging apps, artificial intelligence platforms, social media services and cryptocurrency exchanges.

Kaspersky’s annual analysis of the spam and phishing threat landscape revealed a persistent trend for 2022: a marked increase in phishing attacks. This continued to escalate in 2023, surging by over 40% and reaching a staggering 709, 590,011 attempts to access phishing links.

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Besides a significant spike in phishing activity observed in May and June, the number of attacks rose steadily throughout the year. This trend could be linked to the onset of the holiday season, during which scammers commonly propagate travel-related scams, such as counterfeit airline tickets, tours, and enticing hotel deals.

How AI is driving the rising phishing attacks


The widespread integration of technologies featuring built-in GPT chats has provided scammers with new avenues to exploit.


However, attackers have not forgotten their time-honoured tactics. High-profile releases, events and premieres, such as Barbie and Wonka, remained irresistible to phishers and scammers, whose counterfeit websites ensnared those eager to access the next big thing ahead of schedule or at a discounted rate.

Additionally, Kaspersky experts have observed a surge in attacks spread via messaging platforms. Kaspersky thwarted 62,127 attempts to redirect via phishing and scam links on Telegram, a notable 22% increase in such threats from the last year.

As in the previous year, the majority of redirection attempts in messengers via phishing and scam links were blocked by our solutions on devices owned by users in Russia. Brazil maintained second place, doubling the number of blocked phishing attacks, followed by Turkey, India, Germany, and Italy, where Telegram-based phishing activity also grew. Users from Mexico took seventh place this time, displacing Saudi Arabia from the top seven.

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Olga Svistunova, security expert at Kaspersky said: "Phishing remains a prevalent threat in today's digital landscape, constantly evolving to deceive unsuspecting users. Vigilance and scepticism are our strongest defences against falling victim to these malicious schemes. Stay cautious, verify before you click, and protect your digital identity," comments.
  • Published On Mar 14, 2024 at 10:25 AM IST
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