In 2026, the landscape of cyber crime has drastically changed as hackers adopt advanced tactics that leverage AI technologies. Cyber security experts at Google have observed that these criminals are using AI-powered tools to develop traps that challenge traditional defenses. One significant incident involved a North Korean group utilizing an AI-generated deepfake of a well-known CEO to trick a victim into compromising their computer security.
The rise of these methods marks what some experts are identifying as the fifth wave of cyber crime, leading to record levels of scams and financial losses. Social engineering techniques, particularly phishing, have gained new sophistication due to generative AI, allowing attackers to create hyper-realistic impersonations of individuals' voices and appearances. This development has resulted in more convincing email scams and fraudulent video calls.
According to a report from Group-IB, phishing kits are now available on the dark web for prices comparable to a Netflix subscription, which include tools like AI video actors and cloned voices. Group-IB's CEO, Dmitry Volkov, emphasized that AI is significantly enhancing the capabilities of criminals, enabling them to execute highly personalized scams more effectively than ever before.