The scale and acceleration of AI social engineering threats

Thanks to the power of AI, threats are increasing across all dimensions. Companies often face sophisticated attacks that combine different methods across multiple channels. Our survey reveals that in the past 12 months 40% of security professionals identified the use of shadow or unsafe AI use in their organisations. This includes using unapproved AI tools or entering sensitive data into these tools. Deepfakes and impersonations using voice or video are also rising, to the extent of a reported 43% increase over the last year among our respondents.

If AI is a driver, how has AI changed each area in your organisation in the past 12 months, if at all?

Furthermore, attacks are increasing in scale, speed, sophistication and scope. To wit, 71% of those surveyed believe that the speed of social engineering attacks has increased in the last year, with 72% reporting that the levels of sophistication have improved. 

The scale and acceleration of AI social engineering threats

67% report an increase in AI attacks

Over the last 12 months, 67% of security professionals surveyed reported that the number of AI-engineered attacks has increased.

There's no doubt that AI is now the primary driver that has enabled an exponential rise in the number and nature of cybersecurity threats. Using AI, hackers can create tailored attack plans based on personal information gathering online. An innocent company job posting can expose operational aspects, the tech stacks a business uses and who their vendors are. All of this information can be collated and customised to create an attack. For instance, hackers can use it to customise malware to a company's specific environment, impersonate vendors using deepfakes or create utterly believable, personalised phishing emails.

Playbook Action:
Addressing AI Scale

Priority 1 (Immediate):

Compress the Feedback Loop:

Shift from monthly/quarterly training cycles to "signal-to-shield" responses. Use live threat signals to trigger contextual behavioural reinforcement.

Multi-Channel Defense:

Deploy simulations that mirror real-world "wider" attacks (e.g., an SMS followed by a Teams message) to train cross-channel recognition performance.

Next: The Adaptive Defence System

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