AI chatbots making it harder to spot phishing emails, say experts

Chatbots are taking away a key line of defence against fraudulent phishing emails by removing glaring grammatical and spelling errors, according to experts.

Phishing emails are a well-known weapon of cybercriminals and fool recipients into clicking on a link that downloads malicious software or tricks them into handing over personal details such as passwords or pin numbers.

Half of all adults in England and Wales reported receiving a phishing email last year, according to the Office for National Statistics, while UK businesses have identified phishing attempts as the most common form of cyber-threat.

Data from cybersecurity experts at the UK firm Darktrace suggests that phishing emails are increasingly being written by bots, letting criminals overcome poor English and send longer messages that are less likely to be caught by spam filters.