Training Repels AI-Enabled Ransomware

Per a recent Microsoft study, AI-generated impersonation scams are 4x more effective than bait designed by humans without AI assistance. A “lure” is the forged content leading social engineering campaigns that entice individuals within an organization to offer confidential credentials or click links that download malicious programming like ransomware. And plentiful research confirms that impersonation scams remain the preferred attack vector for cyber criminals engaged in the ransomware business.

In fact, the FBI reports that a growing percentage of the millions of instances of cyber fraud they track involve “deepfakes” – i.e., scams including images, videos or audio recordings altered by generative AI apps. Deepfakes have become extremely lucrative tactics for extortion techniques like ransomware, as cyber crooks use AI to impersonate executives and other business managers with the power to authorize network access and financial transactions. As a premier IT managed services provider (MSP), TeamLogic IT advocates training as the best defense:

• Set Up Simulations – Show staff how cyber thieves operate using real-world examples of AI-generated lures
• Rev Up Reminders – Increase the frequency of notices of when it’s time to update passwords and other credentials
• Workshop It – Offer cybersecurity education options in person and online as ways to implement the first two methods