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Cybercriminals will always prefer to target the boardroom rather than the front desk, and with the spread of artificial intelligence (AI), the tactics used are becoming bolder.
Phishing emails can now be polished with AI in a way that can trick even eagle-eyed corporate executives.
With the individual cost of a data breach averaging $4.88 million in 2024 and the U.S. Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency citing 90% of all cyber attacks beginning with a phishing attempt, the onus falls on C-suite executives — who, after all, usually have access to a business’s crown jewels — to avoid falling prey to threat actors.
Techopedia spoke to a panel of experts about the threats posed to executives by AI scams and what steps to take to avoid putting your business at risk.
Key Takeaways
- AI enables sophisticated phishing emails that mimic corporate communication, targeting busy executives.
- Scammers use AI tools to gather personal details from public sources for highly personalized attacks.
- Executives are more vulnerable when they mishandle MFA and demand for unrestricted access.
- Experts recommend AI-powered detection tools, multi-channel verification protocols, and tailored training to counter phishing threats.
How AI Tools Feed Scammers With Personal Information
Without personalized information, phishing emails are often weak and scattershot. Hence, to pull off a convincing phishing scam, a threat actor usually needs to zero in on specific details about their target.
Aside from data scrapers and aggregators that collect publicly available information from social media profiles, websites, public records, and databases, AI bots can comb through personal information about an individual.
Then, these AI assistants can analyze communication patterns, pick up on subtle nuances that might slip past a human scammer, and adjust texts to fit the tone, style, and formatting typically used in corporate communications.
Welcome to the modern world of AI-powered spear-phishing attacks.
Perry Carpenter, Author and Chief Human Risk Management Strategist at KnowBe4, told Techopedia that these attacks, which often impersonate someone known to the target, are becoming more sophisticated.
“Modern language models make this level of impersonation trivially easy, transforming attacks from ‘spray and pray’ to precision strikes.”
He explained how AI can analyze an individual’s online presence, such as a CFO’s LinkedIn posts, to perfectly mimic their communication style, leading to highly targeted and convincing phishing attempts.
It doesn’t stop there. Carpenter emphasized that these attacks can be enhanced by timing them around significant events, like merger discussions, and by incorporating real-world details.
With this amount of detail in their hands, we may only be a year or two away from being unable to identify the differences between emails coined from AI and one from genuine corporate communications, Maria Chamberlain, President at Acuity Total Solutions, told Techopedia.
She said:
“AI models are getting so good at generating conversations in context that they are replicating nuances of genuine human communication.
“In 2025, if it looks like a duck, swims like a duck, and quacks like a duck, it might be an AI-generated goose.”
AI Phishing Scams: Common C-Suit Mistakes
The human factor side of cybersecurity suggests that anyone can fall for psychological manipulation techniques. This is usually where the mistakes creep in and — unfortunately — company top executives are not immune to them.
As highlighted in a recent Reddit discussion thread among IT professionals, C-suite executives and high-level company leaders often fall victim to phishing scams due to common mistakes, such as mishandling multi-factor authentication (MFA).
In one anecdotal case on the thread, an executive approved an MFA request without checking its legitimacy, letting in bad actors. To compound the issue, the same individual reported the breach to the IT help desk via email on a weekend instead of using the designated out-of-hours support channel, delaying the response.
Proofpoint’s 2024 State of the Phish report reveals a contrast between perception and reality regarding MFA.
While 89% of the 1,050 security professionals surveyed believe MFA is a foolproof solution against account takeover, the report also documented over one million MFA bypass attacks every month in 2024.
Joshua Weiss, CEO of cybersecurity company TeliApp, explained to Techopedia that while AI adds sophistication to a phishing email, its success often hinges on the recipient’s state of mind, especially when the recipient is busy and distracted.
Weiss notes that executives, often juggling multiple tasks and facing constant interruptions, are likelier to fall victim to phishing attempts due to their reduced attention to detail and limited time for thorough scrutiny.
“Bad actors know that phishing emails have a higher probability of success when the target is distracted and attempting to multitask,” Weiss stated, “and will do their best to send their phishing email so that it takes advantage of this.”
Another user on the Reddit thread lamented that a factor commonly affecting security is the demand by top executives for unrestricted access to systems, which weakens security protocols implemented by IT teams.
How the C-Suite Can Stay Ahead of AI Polished Scams in 2025
Staying ahead of AI-driven phishing scams demands proactive leadership and decisive strategies from the C-suite, cybersecurity experts told Techopedia.
Anton Zimarov, Entrepreneur, CEO, and co-founder at Erbis, and Eyal Benishti, CEO at IRONSCALES, both emphasized the need for email security tools, multi-factor authentication, AI-powered detection tools, and proactive security policies.
Will LaSala, Field CTO at OneSpan, cautioned corporate executives to always prioritize brand trust by carefully evaluating the technology products they use for transactions.
He said: “It’s crucial to choose providers that offer white labeling, ensuring that customers trust the organization they are directly interacting with, rather than an unknown third-party provider.”
SlashNext’s field CTO, Stephen Kowski, said another way to stay ahead is to implement multi-channel verification protocols for sensitive requests.
He said that top executives “should also deploy advanced real-time threat detection solutions that analyze messages before delivery and establish clear communication procedures for high-risk transactions.”
The Bottom Line
There is never a single silver bullet for dealing with AI-enhanced phishing threats. Corporate executives must exercise caution by double-checking unexpected communications and resisting pressure to make hasty decisions driven by urgency.
Regular phishing simulations and tailored training programs can help make this a habit, sharpening awareness and improving preparedness for identifying potential red flags.
Furthermore, businesses should avoid keeping sensitive corporate details, such as team structures or internal operations, in the public space as they can be used to personalize phishing scams.
