F L A U N T
The world is entering a new technological era. Machine learning models have opened the door for better data analysis and more sophisticated computing systems. Today’s consumer can access an AI assistant with a swipe at the screen.
However, each new tool has the potential to be misused, just as it has the potential to improve lives. AI-powered phishing attempts are on the rise, targeting consumers to get them to expose their sensitive information and passwords. Fighting fire with fire, advanced AI detectors have been developed to expose these AI scams.
As AI technology grows more sophisticated, malicious actors have been utilizing these models to practice fraudulent activity. AI algorithms can be programmed to automate malware and improve its methods for harvesting data. Using an AI Detector can be beneficial when receiving suspicious messages, such as emails and direct messages on social media.
Forbes reports that AI-powered scams come in various forms. The most common is advanced phishing attacks, which often arrive as emails designed to convince recipients that they came from a trusted source. When users respond to these fraudulent emails, an AI program can use machine learning to analyze behaviors and craft convincing responses.
Another technique that incorporates AI into fraudulent activity is credential stuffing. When a user’s credentials are stolen, an AI bot can rapidly test them across multiple platforms, gaining unauthorized access before the target knows their passwords are compromised.
Automated social engineering is a technique that exploits AI’s machine learning capabilities. In this scam type, AI algorithms analyze social media and other publicly available data to find and target likely victims. The compiled data is then used to trick users into divulging sensitive information.
One of the most advanced forms of AI fraud involves deepfakes. Deepfakes are created using AI’s capability to alter audio and video content. As this technology advances, it can be difficult for humans to determine whether the content they see and hear is accurate or a machine fabrication.
Phishing is the most common cybercrime reported in the United States, with approximately 298,000 individuals affected in 2023. This marks a significant increase in this type of online scam within the last five years.
As phishing attempts grow more prevalent, more of these attacks are being powered by AI. AI can generate thousands of phishing attempts while reducing the costs of these operations by more than 95% and achieving a more significant or equal success rate to human-made phishing attempts, as reported by Harvard Business Review.
Phishing has five phases of attacks: collecting targets, collecting data on targets, creating emails, sending emails, and lastly, validating and improving these emails. When a phishing message hits a user’s inbox, this is only one step in this multi-phrase process.
By that point, data on the user had likely been collected, with the email crafted as the first point of attack. AI models, with their advanced capacity for analyzing data, are powerful tools in the first two phases of phishing.
Once messages are drafted and exchanges start, large language models (LLMs) can generate human-like text, automating this attack phase and deceiving users into believing they are conversing with a person.
AI’s ability to imitate human conversation is not limited to text. As AI technology advances, more possibilities arise for it to be misused to commit fraud. One concerning angle of attack is the use of AI to replicate a person’s voice.
An AI can sometimes analyze a person’s vocal patterns using only three seconds of an audio sample. This data can then be used to create a simulation of the person speaking. With many consumers posting videos and clips of themselves to online spaces, locating the data needed to form these simulations can be simple for scammers. They can then target their friends and families with fraudulent calls, using these replicated voices to ask for money.
With AI tools becoming increasingly integrated into cybercrime, similarly advanced tools will be needed to identify and prevent these attacks. AI detection is being developed to be a powerful aid for protecting consumers and businesses.
AI detection functions by analyzing content and determining whether it was drafted by a human or generated by AI. Like the models they combat, these detection tools are trained on large data sets of human and AI-derived works and utilize machine learning for analysis. These models then identify patterns and features more associated with AI-generated content. They can hone in on nuances that human users might miss, such as repetitive or overused phrases and a lack of individualistic style.
Beyond detecting fraud, AI detection tools can serve educators, content creators, and businesses who wish to ensure that the written materials they receive or use are authentically written by a human hand. This software can be integrated into existing platforms and is designed to work with various content types.
As AI becomes more prevalent across digital spaces, AI detection must be implemented to guard against misuse of this developing technology. AI software is now used to power search engines, optimize algorithms, and analyze business operations worldwide. While machine learning technologies are becoming a part of everyday life, there is also no denying the issue of AI-powered scams and fraud.
AI detection tools are geared to detect AI in text, alerting users to undeclared AI-generated content and potentially blocking a scam attempt before it can progress. These detection tools can offer users higher safety and security for business networks. As phishing attempts spike across the United States, identifying AI-written emails and messages has never been more critical.
AI models will likely only improve in ability over time. This technology is now being developed to imitate human voices and faces, opening the door for a new era of cybercrimes. It will take continued advances in AI detection tools to combat this growing threat.
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