The threat is AI-assisted phishing, specifically using platforms like Softr AI to create credential-harvesting websites, which lowers the barrier to entry for attackers and accelerates campaign speed. The article does not describe a specific software vulnerability with version ranges, but identifies inadequate multi-factor authentication as a prevalent security flaw. Healthcare and government sectors were the most targeted in Q1 2026.
AI/ML , Phishing AI-assisted phishing attacks on the rise, report finds April 23, 2026 Share By SC Staff (Adobe Stock) Cisco's Talos threat intelligence report found that attackers are increasingly using AI tools to boost their phishing attacks, which is the most common initial access method by hackers in the first quarter of 2026, reports Cybersecurity Dive . The early phases of a ransomware attack accounted for over 20% of Cisco's incident-response engagements, which is a substantial decrease from 50% during the first two quarters of last year. According to Cisco, it was reasonably certain that attackers had been using Softr AI platform for credential-harvesting websites since May 2023, "and have done so with increasing frequency to date." "This incident demonstrates how AI tools can lower the barrier to entry for less sophisticated actors and/or accelerate the speed of phishing and credential-harvesting campaigns," said Cisco researchers. The report also revealed that in the first quarter of 2026, healthcare organizations and government agencies were the two most popular targets, followed by the professional, scientific, and technical services sector. Cisco also found that inadequate multi-factor authentication was the most prevalent security flaw during the first three months of the year. An In-Depth Guide to AI Get essential knowledge and practical strategies to use AI to better your security program. Learn More SC Staff Related AI/ML Anthropic probes alleged third-party breach of Claude Mythos SC Staff April 23, 2026 HackRead reports that Anthropic has launched an investigation into the reported compromise of its Claude Mythos AI model by a Discord-linked group that obtained unauthorized access through an external contractor. Data Security OpenAI’s Chronicle mirrors Microsoft Recall’s privacy concerns SC Staff April 23, 2026 Chronicle functions by taking screenshots of the user's screen and feeding them to OpenAI's Codex agent to augment its memory with contextual data. Cloud Security CrowdStrike expands cloud security to Google Cloud SC Staff April 23, 2026 Announced at Google Cloud Next 2026, the expansion integrates Google Cloud alongside AWS and Azure into CrowdStrike CDR's real-time monitoring capabilities. Get daily email updates SC Media's daily must-read of the most current and pressing daily news Business Email By clicking the Subscribe button below, you agree to SC Media Terms of Use and Privacy Policy . Subscribe You can skip this ad in 5 seconds