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Artificial Intelligence and Deep Fakes

The Rise of AI-Enabled Social Engineering Attacks

By January 14, 2025No Comments

AI-enabled social engineering attacks mark a new cybersecurity threat era. Using advanced machine learning algorithms, cybercriminals can now automate and personalize their attacks with unprecedented precision. AI-driven phishing and vishing scams mimic voices and email tones, while deepfakes impersonate trustworthy figures. As a result, distinguishing between legitimate communication and malicious intent is now more difficult than ever.

The New York State Department of Financial Services (DFS) Addresses AI Cybersecurity Risks

The DFS considers AI-enabled social engineering as a significant threat to the financial services sector. To address this threat, they issued an industry letter to Covered Entities* outlining AI cybersecurity risks.  The DFS letter highlights four main risks from AI, two of which focus on how attackers use AI:

1. AI-Enabled Social Engineering Attacks
2. AI-Enabled Cybersecurity Attacks

While social engineering is not new, AI has made the attacks more personalized and sophisticated. Threat actors are using AI to create realistic deepfakes, audio, video, and text to target individuals through phishing, vishing, SMiShing, videoconferencing, and online platforms. Here are a few examples from the DFS industry letter:

*Covered Entity: A covered entity is defined in 23 NYCRR § 500.1(e) as “any person operating under or required to operate under a license, registration, charter, certificate, permit, accreditation or similar authorization under the Banking Law, the Insurance Law or the Financial Services Law, regardless of whether the covered entity is also regulated by other government agencies.”

AI-Enabled Attacks – A Concern for All Enterprises

AI-enabled social engineering attacks threaten all enterprises, not just the financial industry. Consider just a few statistics:

  • 26% of C-suite executives faced deepfake incidents in the past year (Validia).
  • One report shows a 28% rise in phishing emails in Q2 2024, likely driven by generative AI (Egress).
  • 80% of employees are willing to follow AI-impersonated instructions (Validia).

With the rise in AI-enabled social engineering attacks, the need for robust and innovative training has never been more urgent.

Cybersecurity Training for AI-Enabled Attacks

The DFS industry letter highlights the need for comprehensive training on AI-enabled attacks. Staff, executives, and board members should be trained in AI risks and how to respond to AI-driven social engineering threats.

For this training to be effective, we believe it should integrate a deep understanding of social engineering techniques with a strong grasp of how AI technologies are used in these attacks. To answer this need, Social-Engineer LLC, in partnership with Validia, offers an innovative Artificial Intelligence and Deep Fake Social Engineering Audit designed to equip your staff and cybersecurity teams with essential skills for navigating this threat landscape. We use advanced deep fake and digital skin technologies to create hyper-realistic scenarios that test and enhance your team’s vigilance against sophisticated social engineering attacks. This service provides companies with a cutting-edge defense against the evolving threat of AI-enabled social engineering attacks.

Please contact us today for a consultation.

Security Assessment Case Study
Learn more about the importance of a Social Engineering Risk Assessment.
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Security Assessment Case Study
Learn more about the importance of a Social Engineering Risk Assessment.
Download Now
What Makes Us Different
At Social-Engineer, we pride ourselves on what we do and how we do it. We are a security services provider, focusing on four primary attack vectors. This case study will go through how we can protect your company and what makes us different.
Download Now
What Makes Us Different
At Social-Engineer, we pride ourselves on what we do and how we do it. We are a security services provider, focusing on four primary attack vectors. This case study will go through how we can protect your company and what makes us different.
Download Now
Woman vs Machine
Technology is providing new, more innovative ways to enhance our world. Scientists are constantly developing smarter, faster and more intelligent machines, systems and robots. There is no doubt that each of these has evolved beyond their clockwork origins.
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Woman vs Machine
Technology is providing new, more innovative ways to enhance our world. Scientists are constantly developing smarter, faster and more intelligent machines, systems and robots. There is no doubt that each of these has evolved beyond their clockwork origins.
Download Now
Vishing and Phishing Must Be Ongoing to Be Effective
Most companies have a security awareness program in one form or another. If they don’t, it should be on the short list of programs to start as soon as possible. In our experience, many of these programs take the form of computer-based training.
Download Now
Vishing and Phishing Must Be Ongoing to Be Effective
Most companies have a security awareness program in one form or another. If they don’t, it should be on the short list of programs to start as soon as possible. In our experience, many of these programs take the form of computer-based training.
Download Now
A Case Study in Vishing
Vishing (voice-based phishing) has been a problem for quite a long time. There are many vendors in the marketplace that offer vishing services. However they tend to use robo-callers or call centers for large volume engagements. If they are using trained humans to make calls, it is likely in very low numbers.
Download Now
A Case Study in Vishing
Vishing (voice-based phishing) has been a problem for quite a long time. There are many vendors in the marketplace that offer vishing services. However they tend to use robo-callers or call centers for large volume engagements. If they are using trained humans to make calls, it is likely in very low numbers.
Download Now
Benefits of a Social-Engineering Risk Assessment Engagement
Your company is important. Indeed, the data you hold for your clients or employees is very valuable and attackers seek to capitalize on that data any way they can. This is where a Social Engineering Risk Assessment (SERA) engagement can help uncover possible vulnerability to attackers.
Download Now
Benefits of a Social-Engineering Risk Assessment Engagement
Your company is important. Indeed, the data you hold for your clients or employees is very valuable and attackers seek to capitalize on that data any way they can. This is where a Social Engineering Risk Assessment (SERA) engagement can help uncover possible vulnerability to attackers.
Download Now
The Business Value of the Social-Engineer Phishing Service
Cybercriminals are targeting the human element of organizations. Additionally, they are developing techniques to use an organization’s employees as the first point of entry. According to the 2021 Verizon DBIR report, of the 3,841 security breaches reported using social engineering, phishing was the key vector for over 80% of them.
Download Now
The Business Value of the Social-Engineer Phishing Service
Cybercriminals are targeting the human element of organizations. Additionally, they are developing techniques to use an organization’s employees as the first point of entry. According to the 2021 Verizon DBIR report, of the 3,841 security breaches reported using social engineering, phishing was the key vector for over 80% of them.
Download Now