Learn How to Spot Signs of Phishing, Especially from Generative AI
October is observed globally as Cybersecurity Awareness Month, emphasizing the critical importance of cybersecurity in our digital lives. Understanding emerging cyber risks is essential to ensure our online activities — both at work and at home — remain secure.
Throughout October, CyberAlberta provide valuable insights to help us safeguard our digital environments against cyberattacks.
Identifying Phishing Emails Using Generative AI
As Generative AI (GenAI) gains popularity, phishing emails are becoming increasingly sophisticated to detect. Traditional warning signs are often obscured, making it more challenging to identify fraudulent messages.
Tips to Spot a GenAI-Based Phishing Emails
Here are key indictors to help you identify potential phishing attempts:
- Enhanced Legitimacy: Phishing emails may use polished themes or formatting and display impeccable grammar. However, AI-generated content can occasionally produce awkward phrasing or repetitive sentences, which may seem out of place in typical human communication.
- Personalization: These emails may address you personally, sometimes referencing individuals such as your manager or CEO. Be cautious, as they may also appear generic.
- Contextual Awareness: Phishing emails often lack specific references to past interactions. Authentic messages typically include details from prior conversations or recent transactions.
- Visual Elements: Scrutinize logos and graphics for quality. AI-generated content may struggle to accurately replicate official branding, leading to inconsistencies.
- Tone of Communication: Be alert for emails that come across as overly formal or stilted. The tone should align with the usual communication style of the sender.
- Requests for Sensitive Information: Be wary of emails asking you to confirm passwords or other personal data.
- Urgent Language: Phishing attempts often create a sense of urgency, with threats of account closure or other dire consequences to prompt immediate action.
- Suspicious Links: Always verify links and email addresses. Look for subtle errors, such as misspelling in domain names and email addresses (e.g., “Albert.ca” instead of “Alberta.ca”, ‘[email protected]” instead of ‘[email protected]”).
Phishing emails are becoming harder to detect, especially as cybercriminals use AI to enhance their deception. Staying vigilant and using the tips provided can help protect your personal and organizational information, but always be mindful—think twice before you click.
Traditional Phishing Tactics vs. AI-Generated Phishing Tactics
Aspect | Traditional Phishing | AI-Generated Phishing |
| Grammar & Spelling | Frequent errors; poorly written | Flawless grammar and spelling |
| Personalization | Generic greetings (e.g., “Dear User”) | Highly personalized, utilizing public data |
| Tone | Often awkward or impersonal | Professional and formal, mimics real communication styles |
| Branding & Visuals | Poor quality logos or mismatched branding | High-quality branding, closely resembling real companies |
| Contextual Awareness | Irrelevant or vague; lacks details | May include relevant details but often contains subtle errors |
| Suspicious Links | Obvious, often misspelled domains | More sophisticated, harder to detect |
| Errors | Easily spotted due to spelling and formatting | More difficult to detect; subtle contextual errors |
By remaining vigilant and applying these tips, you can better protect both your personal and organizational information from cyber threats. Always remember to think critically before clicking on any links.