Evaluating the Role of Artificial Intelligence in Defending Against DeepfakeEnabled Phishing Attacks

The rise of AI has revolutionized people’s daily lives and specialized fields, including cybersecurity. However, AI can be leveraged for cyberattacks by various methods, such as writing AI-generated code for malware, writing convincing phishing messages, and using deepfakes to give phishing attacks a greater effect. Deepfakes can be used in phishing attacks because humans tend to trust faces and audio, leading to a greater chance for attackers to receive money from victims who likely thought they were sending money to a friend, family member, or coworker. Using a thematic analysis approach, this research paper aims to shed light on deepfake-based phishing attacks since, with further developments in AI, they could become more prominent in the future. It concludes by suggesting how AI should be used to defend against deepfake-based phishing attacks.