---
title: "How Organizations Are Leveraging AI & Machine Learning To Prevent Phishing Attacks | Phish Protection"
description: "Hackers use social engineering in text messages and emails to launch phishing attacks on unsuspecting users and persuade them to share private information such."
image: "https://phishprotection.com/og/blog/how-organizations-are-leveraging-ai-and-machine-learning-to-prevent-phishing-attacks.png"
canonical: "https://phishprotection.com/blog/how-organizations-are-leveraging-ai-and-machine-learning-to-prevent-phishing-attacks/"
---

Quick Answer

As per \[APWG's Phishing Activity Trends Report for Q2 2020\](https://apwg.org/trendsreports/), the first half of 2020 witnessed \*\*146,994 phishing attacks\*\*. While there are many attacks, it is 11% less than in 2019, which saw 165,772 attacks for the same period.

Share 

[ ](https://www.linkedin.com/sharing/share-offsite/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fphishprotection.com%2Fblog%2Fhow-organizations-are-leveraging-ai-and-machine-learning-to-prevent-phishing-attacks%2F "Share on LinkedIn") [ ](https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?text=How%20Organizations%20Are%20Leveraging%20AI%20%26%23038%3B%20Machine%20Learning%20To%20Prevent%20Phishing%20Attacks&url=https%3A%2F%2Fphishprotection.com%2Fblog%2Fhow-organizations-are-leveraging-ai-and-machine-learning-to-prevent-phishing-attacks%2F "Share on X/Twitter") [ ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fphishprotection.com%2Fblog%2Fhow-organizations-are-leveraging-ai-and-machine-learning-to-prevent-phishing-attacks%2F "Share on Facebook") [ ](https://reddit.com/submit?url=https%3A%2F%2Fphishprotection.com%2Fblog%2Fhow-organizations-are-leveraging-ai-and-machine-learning-to-prevent-phishing-attacks%2F&title=How%20Organizations%20Are%20Leveraging%20AI%20%26%23038%3B%20Machine%20Learning%20To%20Prevent%20Phishing%20Attacks "Share on Reddit") [ ](mailto:?subject=How%20Organizations%20Are%20Leveraging%20AI%20%26%23038%3B%20Machine%20Learning%20To%20Prevent%20Phishing%20Attacks&body=Check out this article: https%3A%2F%2Fphishprotection.com%2Fblog%2Fhow-organizations-are-leveraging-ai-and-machine-learning-to-prevent-phishing-attacks%2F "Share via Email") 

![Phish Protection blog post image](https://media.mailhop.org/phishprotection/images/2020/11/anti-phishing-protection-7453.jpg) 

_Hackers use social engineering in text messages and emails to launch **phishing attacks** on unsuspecting users_ and persuade them to share private information such as their login credentials or bank account details. Phishing schemes are becoming more advanced, and targeted attacks like **spear-phishing** are posing a threat to many organizations. _While they deploy spam filters to counter malicious emails, the sophisticated ones quickly pass through these filters_.

### Crucial Phishing Facts And Statistics For 2020

#### Phishing attacks are widespread

As per [APWG’s Phishing Activity Trends Report for Q2 2020](https://apwg.org/trendsreports/), the first half of 2020 witnessed **146,994 phishing attacks**. While there are many attacks, it is 11% less than in 2019, which saw 165,772 attacks for the same period.

#### Reduction in credential phishing attacks

As per [Cofense’s Q1 2020 Phishing Review](https://cofense.com/available-today-cofense-intelligence-q1-2020-phishing-review/) , the _keyloggers and information stealers are becoming the favored phishing tools_. Compared with last year, phishing attacks involving credential phishing, stealing passwords and usernames, **made up 74% of all attacks**.

#### The most common targeted attack vector is spear-phishing emails

[Symantec’s Internet Security Threat Report 2019](https://www.symantec.com/content/dam/symantec/docs/reports/istr-24-2019-en.pdf) states that _almost two-thirds (65%) of all the renowned adversary groups carried out cyber-attacks through **spear-phishing emails**_. The report also adds that 96% of the targeted attacks were deployed for the sole purpose of intelligence gathering.

![Anti phishing protection](https://media.mailhop.org/phishprotection/images/2020/11/anti-phishing-protection-7453.jpg) 

#### A rise in the number of phishing websites

According to a [Phishing Statistics](https://www.keepnetlabs.com/phishing-statistics-you-need-to-know-to-protect-your-organization/#:~:text=According%20to%20Keepnet's%20latest%20Phishing,information%20to%20phishing%20web%20sites.&text=Over%2060%2C000%20phishing%20websites%20reported%20in%20March%202020%20alone.&text=96%25%20of%20all%20targeted%20attacks%20are%20developed%20for%20intelligence%2Dgathering.&text=71%25%20of%20sextortion%20victims%20are%20under%20the%20age%20of%2018.) report by Keepnet, March 2020 saw the reporting of over **60,000 phishing websites**. Additionally, it adds that 1 in 8 employees of an organization shared private information on these websites.

### AI, A Double-Edged Sword

> “Zero-day phishing URLs have an average lifespan of just 12 hours before they’re added to blocklists. During that window, traditional signature-based filters are blind. Our real-time behavioral analysis catches these threats by pattern, not by signature - which is how we detect attacks that no database has seen yet.” - **Adam Lundrigan**, CTO, DuoCircle

Unethical hackers evolve their attack methods and use ‘[smart phishing](https://www.cpomagazine.com/cyber-security/ai-powered-malware-smart-phishing-and-open-source-attacks-oh-my-the-new-wave-of-hacking-in-2019-and-how-to-prevent/)‘ techniques _for extracting confidential and sensitive information_. It is an approach that uses a baseline of exclusive and intelligent data about the target for making the **phishing attack** look authentic and legitimate. Furthermore, attackers misuse AI and ML to learn patterns about the victim’s system and exploit personal data.

On the other hand, AI uses an organization’s unique environment, and advanced open-source intelligence feeds to enhance the ability to detect and [prevent phishing](/) threats. Thus, when it comes to cybersecurity, and particularly phishing attacks, AI acts as a double-edged sword. Hence, _security teams need to know about AI-enabled threats and embrace AI-powered security measures_.

### How AI and Machine Learning Mechanisms Help to Prevent Phishing Attacks

AI and ML-based software utilize the following techniques to **thwart phishing attacks**:

#### They look for anomalies throughout the emails

_AI and ML-based software look for warning signs throughout the email, ranging from message content to the metadata_. It includes alerts that are based on message intent and email behavior. One of the main signs of a **phishing scam** is a sense of urgency in the email. If an email requires quick action, the AI mechanism lights up a warning signal and starts working to understand the email’s context.

It also checks for anomalies in the email header and identifies, for example, cases of misspelled domains, **email spoofing**, etc. Coupled with mechanisms like [SPF, DMARC, and DKIM](https://www.csoonline.com/article/3254234/mastering-email-security-with-dmarc-spf-and-dkim.html), AI enhances an enterprise network’s threat detection capabilities.

#### They analyze the message context

It is another critical point that establishes AI as a **robust defense against phishing**. _It means not only comparing an email with existing phishing scams but analyzing it thoroughly_. For example, the system will consider the data that the sender may request in the message, whether a previous conversation is present, the header topic, and the message itself. 

Moreover, _a machine learning-based mechanism will keep learning and continuously evolving from the user’s feedback and make analysis increasingly accurate_.

#### They understand how users communicate

Traditional **security solutions** can hardly detect the standard type of fraud that hurts most enterprises today. It is so because it doesn’t include the common elements of malicious mail. Such attacks are called [spear-phishing attacks](/blog/13-spear-phishing-attacks-examples-to-justify-investment-for-phishing-prevention-solutions-in-your-organization/) like Email Account Compromise (EAC) and Business Email Compromise (BEC) scams.

It is a highly specialized scam type in which _hackers use social engineering to study the victims before starting the attack thoroughly._ To fight these scams, AI and ML algorithms examine how different users communicate. They learn the user’s typical behavior, textual patterns, and if the message context makes sense.

![Anti phishing protection](https://media.mailhop.org/phishprotection/images/2020/11/anti-phishing-protection-7452.jpg) 

#### Use classification models to detect suspicious activity

You may be familiar with the calm-inducing [TLS certificates](https://letsencrypt.org/) and the green locks, which put our minds at ease whenever we visit a website. We are sure about such websites because the green lock indicates the site’s encryption will shield us from malicious threats. _While preventing us from phishing attacks, these certificates make for an easy target at times_.

_AI and ML mechanisms use classification models and neural networks to detect malicious attempts on certificates_. Moreover, they employ AI chatbots, which waste the hacker’s time, and they abandon their effort and start targeting easier victims. The chances are that you have already reaped the benefits of the profiling model technology, which flags specific transactions as malicious. It tracks the user’s activity, and any activity that doesn’t align with the profile is defined as ‘suspicious.’ AI is the critical technology behind creating these profiles.

\*\* \*\*

### Final Words

We have seen how AI and Machine learning mechanisms use innovative methods to [protect organizations](https://www.analyticsinsight.net/machine-learning-developed-prevent-phishing-attacks/) against phishing attempts. However, these mechanisms are useful only if an enterprise has an excellent human intelligence source for modeling it at the mailbox level close to the end-users. Also, being relatively new technologies, _AI and ML cannot prevent all attacks by themselves_. They will need a timely security team review, which can be fed back to the machine learning process. Thus, with the combination of AI and human intelligence, organizations can build a robust and continuously updating **threat prevention** infrastructure.

## Topics

[ Phishing Awareness ](/tags/phishing-awareness/) 

![Brad Slavin](https://media.mailhop.org/phishprotection/images/authors/brad-slavin.jpg) 

[ Brad Slavin ](/authors/brad-slavin/) 

General Manager

Founder and General Manager of DuoCircle. Product strategy and commercial lead across DuoCircle's 2,000+ customer base.

[LinkedIn Profile →](https://www.linkedin.com/in/bradslavin) 

## Protect your inbox from phishing attacks

Real-time email security with 60-day free trial. No credit card required.

[Start Free Trial](https://portal.duocircle.com/cart.php?a=add&pid=101&brand=phishprotection) [View Pricing](/pricing/) 

## Related Articles

[  Foundational 5m  0ktapus, Okta Breach Helps Attackers Launch Sophisticated Supply Chain Attacks  Sep 5, 2022 ](/blog/0ktapus-okta-breach-helps-attackers-launch-sophisticated-supply-chain-attacks/)[  Foundational 14m  12 Real-World Spear Phishing Examples And The Red Flags You Missed  Feb 4, 2026 ](/blog/12-real-world-spear-phishing-examples-and-the-red-flags-you-missed/)[  Foundational 2m  8 million Android users fell prey to SpyLoan malware on Google Play Store  Dec 5, 2024 ](/blog/8-million-android-users-fell-prey-to-spyloan-malware-on-google-play-store/)[  Foundational 1m  A Big Part of the Phishing Problem is You  Sep 17, 2019 ](/blog/a-big-part-of-the-phishing-problem-is-you/)

```json
{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"Organization","name":"Phish Protection","url":"https://phishprotection.com","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://phishprotection.com/images/phishprotection-logo.png"},"description":"Advanced phishing protection and email security for businesses. Real-time threat defense, time-of-click protection, and seamless Office 365 integration.","parentOrganization":{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q138883901","name":"DuoCircle LLC","url":"https://www.duocircle.com","sameAs":["https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q138883901","https://www.crunchbase.com/organization/duocircle-llc","https://www.linkedin.com/company/duocircle","https://github.com/duocircle"],"subOrganization":[{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q138898167","name":"DMARC Report","url":"https://dmarcreport.com"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q138897474","name":"AutoSPF","url":"https://autospf.com"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q138897912","name":"Phish Protection","url":"https://www.phishprotection.com"}]},"sameAs":["https://www.linkedin.com/company/duocircle","https://x.com/duocirclellc","https://www.facebook.com/duocirclellc","https://github.com/duocircle"],"contactPoint":{"@type":"ContactPoint","contactType":"customer support","url":"https://phishprotection.com/contact/"},"knowsAbout":["Phishing Protection","Email Security","Anti-Phishing","Business Email Compromise","Ransomware Protection","Time of Click Protection","Office 365 Email Security","Advanced Threat Defense"]}
```

```json
{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"WebSite","name":"Phish Protection","url":"https://phishprotection.com","description":"Advanced phishing protection and email security for businesses. Real-time threat defense, time-of-click protection, and seamless Office 365 integration.","publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Phish Protection","url":"https://phishprotection.com","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://phishprotection.com/images/phishprotection-logo.png"},"description":"Advanced phishing protection and email security for businesses. Real-time threat defense, time-of-click protection, and seamless Office 365 integration.","parentOrganization":{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q138883901","name":"DuoCircle LLC","url":"https://www.duocircle.com","sameAs":["https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q138883901","https://www.crunchbase.com/organization/duocircle-llc","https://www.linkedin.com/company/duocircle","https://github.com/duocircle"],"subOrganization":[{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q138898167","name":"DMARC Report","url":"https://dmarcreport.com"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q138897474","name":"AutoSPF","url":"https://autospf.com"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q138897912","name":"Phish Protection","url":"https://www.phishprotection.com"}]}}}
```

```json
{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BlogPosting","headline":"How Organizations Are Leveraging AI & Machine Learning To Prevent Phishing Attacks","description":"Hackers use social engineering in text messages and emails to launch phishing attacks on unsuspecting users and persuade them to share private information such.","url":"https://phishprotection.com/blog/how-organizations-are-leveraging-ai-and-machine-learning-to-prevent-phishing-attacks/","datePublished":"2020-11-25T14:05:21.000Z","dateModified":"2026-04-17T15:43:10.000Z","dateCreated":"2020-11-25T14:05:21.000Z","author":{"@type":"Person","@id":"https://phishprotection.com/authors/brad-slavin/#person","name":"Brad Slavin","url":"https://phishprotection.com/authors/brad-slavin/","jobTitle":"General Manager","description":"Brad Slavin is the founder and General Manager of DuoCircle, the company behind DMARC Report, AutoSPF, Phish Protection, and Mailhop. He founded DuoCircle in 2014 and has led the company's growth to 2,000+ customers across its email security product family. Brad's focus is product strategy, customer relationships, and the commercial and compliance side of email authentication (DPAs, SLAs, enterprise procurement).","image":"https://media.mailhop.org/phishprotection/images/authors/brad-slavin.jpg","knowsAbout":["Email Security Strategy","SaaS Product Management","Enterprise Compliance","Customer Success","Email Deliverability Business"],"worksFor":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Phish Protection","url":"https://phishprotection.com"},"sameAs":["https://www.linkedin.com/in/bradslavin"]},"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Phish Protection","url":"https://phishprotection.com","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://phishprotection.com/images/phishprotection-logo.png"},"description":"Advanced phishing protection and email security for businesses. Real-time threat defense, time-of-click protection, and seamless Office 365 integration.","parentOrganization":{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q138883901","name":"DuoCircle LLC","url":"https://www.duocircle.com","sameAs":["https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q138883901","https://www.crunchbase.com/organization/duocircle-llc","https://www.linkedin.com/company/duocircle","https://github.com/duocircle"],"subOrganization":[{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q138898167","name":"DMARC Report","url":"https://dmarcreport.com"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q138897474","name":"AutoSPF","url":"https://autospf.com"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q138897912","name":"Phish Protection","url":"https://www.phishprotection.com"}]},"sameAs":["https://www.linkedin.com/company/duocircle","https://x.com/duocirclellc","https://www.facebook.com/duocirclellc","https://github.com/duocircle"],"contactPoint":{"@type":"ContactPoint","contactType":"customer support","url":"https://phishprotection.com/contact/"},"knowsAbout":["Phishing Protection","Email Security","Anti-Phishing","Business Email Compromise","Ransomware Protection","Time of Click Protection","Office 365 Email Security","Advanced Threat Defense"]},"mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://phishprotection.com/blog/how-organizations-are-leveraging-ai-and-machine-learning-to-prevent-phishing-attacks/"},"articleSection":"foundational","keywords":"Phishing Awareness","wordCount":967,"image":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://media.mailhop.org/phishprotection/images/2020/11/anti-phishing-protection-7453.jpg","caption":"Phish Protection blog post image","width":1200,"height":630},"speakable":{"@type":"SpeakableSpecification","cssSelector":[".answer-block","h1"]}}
```

```json
{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https://phishprotection.com/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Blog","item":"https://phishprotection.com/blog/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"name":"Foundational","item":"https://phishprotection.com/foundational/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":4,"name":"How Organizations Are Leveraging AI & Machine Learning To Prevent Phishing Attacks","item":"https://phishprotection.com/blog/how-organizations-are-leveraging-ai-and-machine-learning-to-prevent-phishing-attacks/"}]}
```