The number is big but 91% of all cyberattacks start with phishing emails that have become more effective for bad actors thanks to use of AI. Since social engineering and deception are mainly used for phishing attacks, 60% of recipients claim that they fell for AI phishing attacks. AI is now being used for many applications and criminals are using its power to create highly convincing emails, messages, and even deepfake calls that impersonate trusted contacts.

Generally, AI-generated phishing emails target Gmail, Outlook, and Apple users with emails that look similar to professional ones. Now to overcome this is another issue: one needs to be prepared more and change their outdated tactics to be safe from these kinds of phishing attacks. We are going to look at the various strategies to protect yourself from AI-powered phishing attacks.

Setting Up A Chrome Proxy To Enhance Your Online Security

Since Google has a market share of more than 60% in the browser industry, its Chrome browser is the most popular one among internet users, hence remains a vulnerable spot for cyberattacks. The browser itself has many features such as HTTP enforcement, sandboxing, and safe browsing to keep the users safe, but it still might not be enough. Several additional options can be used by each of us to make sure a good protection is in place. One of the most famous methods is using a proxy on Chrome, and here is why.

Usually, AI-powered phishing attacks look at your browsing history and activity to create deceptive emails. A Chrome proxy functions as an intermediary and masks your IP address which makes it harder for attackers to gather information based on your activity. Even though the proxy, as any technology, might not be enough to protect you completely without pairing it with other solutions, it still is a good layer of defense when combined with other security features of Chrome.

To set up Chrome proxy, there are many good sources that may help. However, the process itself is pretty easy and intuitive: Click on the vertical dots on the top-right corner of Chrome and click on Settings. Click on “Open your computer’s proxy settings” under System then enter the proxy server address and port number of your service. Once you save the changes and restart your browser, the proxy will be active for you to browse safely.

Strengthening Email Security With AI-Powered Detection

Since emails are the most common way of phishing, you can use the AI features of your email service to combat these attacks. Gmail and Outlook have already integrated AI filters that can block suspicious emails even before they reach the inbox. It uses machine learning and advanced rules that can look at message patterns, sender authenticity, and content structure to look for signs of phishing. Google itself blocks more than 100 million phishing emails daily, thereby showcasing the magnitude of the cybercrime.

If you want to maximize your protection, you need to have advanced spam filtering options and make sure to review your email security settings. Many email services even offer real-time scanning that can flag malicious links in an email, thereby making the job even easier.

Use Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA)

MFA works by giving you a further protection layer in the form of an additional required step after entering your username and password. This includes measures like a fingerprint scan or OTP verification. This ensures that even if your credentials get compromised by accidentally clicking on a link, the attacker won’t be able to get access as they cannot bypass multi-factor authentication measures. 

You can increase the security even more by using an app-based authenticator such as Google Authenticator or Authy instead of the general SMS-based authenticator. This is because AI phishing emails can now detect and intercept phishing emails.

Training Yourself To Recognize AI-Generated Phishing Attempts

Even the most advanced security system can fail if the users themselves don’t know how to handle cyberattacks. Since 74% of them occur due to human error, you need to be trained to recognize AI-generated phishing attempts to stay safe in this era.

AI itself can make mistakes when sending emails; check for small signs such as variations in sender addresses, hover over links to verify destinations, and analyze the tone and grammar of messages to make sure they are genuine or not. You can simulate phishing exercises within your business to train people on what kind of attacks and emails they can expect.

With the above strategies, you can protect yourself and others from phishing attacks even if it is from AI. It’s all about knowing the vulnerabilities in your system and having a little care online to protect yourself.