Phishing hits record high, surging 94% driven by AI
The unstoppable advance of AI is allowing cybercriminals to create increasingly sophisticated campaigns, with personalized messages that are difficult to distinguish from legitimate communications.
This situation has led to a significant increase in this type of fraud over the past year, forcing organizations to strengthen their cybersecurity strategies. Because yes, this is just the beginning…
Artificial intelligence accelerates the growth of digital fraud
The Fraud & Security Report 2026 prepared by Infobip reflects a more than worrying outlook.
In this study, phishing already accounts for 49% of all malicious content blocked by the company and has experienced a year-on-year growth of 94%.
The report, based on the analysis of billions of interactions recorded worldwide, indicates that cybercriminals are using artificial intelligence tools to automate the creation of fraudulent campaigns and tailor them to each victim.
As a result, detected threats increased by 77% compared to the previous year.
“Cybercriminals are using AI to automate and scale campaigns at unprecedented speed, but AI protection is also advancing rapidly. The growth of AI-based detection confirms that the most advanced organizations no longer treat security as an add-on, but are incorporating it directly into their communication infrastructure,” says Matija Ražem, Chief Commercial Telecom Officer of Infobip.
Companies strengthen their protection systems
The increase in attacks is also driving significant investments in defensive technologies.
Organizations are incorporating solutions capable of analyzing large volumes of information in real-time to detect suspicious activities before they cause harm.
Over the past year, the implementation of AI-supported detection systems increased by 71%.
Simultaneously, solutions based on behavioral pattern analysis grew by 105%, a figure that shows the shift towards much more dynamic and predictive security models.
These types of tools not only identify known threats but also detect anomalies that could indicate an attempt at fraud, even when attacks use unprecedented techniques.
Network APIs gain prominence
The report also highlights the advancement of so-called Network APIs as one of the technologies with the greatest potential to reduce digital fraud.
Among them are solutions like SIM Swap or Number Verification, which allow for more effective user identity verification and impersonation attempt detection.
Interactions with these tools grew by 91% over the past year, with the financial sector leading their implementation due to the high level of risk it is exposed to.
The company believes that protection must be integrated directly into customer communication platforms to respond to a scenario where attacks continuously evolve and leverage the capabilities of artificial intelligence to increase their effectiveness.
What awaits us
The evolution of phishing shows that traditional protection methods are no longer sufficient against automated campaigns capable of generating convincing messages in a matter of seconds.
The combination of offensive artificial intelligence and advanced defense tools is marking a new stage in the fight against digital fraud.
And the reality is one: organizations that incorporate intelligent detection systems, behavior analysis, and identity verification are better prepared to reduce risks and respond quickly to attacks that, as the report data shows, continue to grow at an unprecedented rate.
