Solution combines email security, web browsing protection, perimeter posture, and awareness culture to help tackle phishing attacks. Credit: Rawpixel/Shutterstock Cybersecurity vendor Guardz has announced the release of a new AI-powered phishing protection solution to help small- and medium-sized businesses (SMBs) and managed service providers (MSPs) prevent phishing attacks. It uses AI to provide small businesses and the MSPs that support them automatic phishing detection and remediation capabilities by combining email security, web browsing protection, perimeter posture, and awareness into one native solution, according to the firm.The release comes in the wake of the Verizon 2023 Data Breach Investigations Report, which cited phishing as the second most common way threat actors infiltrate organizations, behind stolen credentials. It also found that three-quarters of all data breaches observed in the past year involved some form of human element, with the number of recorded business email compromise (BEC) attacks doubling. Meanwhile, the emergence of sophisticated generative AI chat technology built on large language models (LMMs) has changed the phishing game significantly, with researchers already demonstrating how OpenAI’s ChatGPT can enhance phishing attacks by making them harder to detect and easier to pull off.Platform verifies emails against authentication protocols like DMARCGuardz’s new phishing protection platform automatically verifies emails for authentication protocols including Domain-based Message Authentication, Reporting and Conformance (DMARC), Sender Policy Framework (SPF), and checks for malicious forwarding rules, the firm said in a press release.It also initiates detection through AI-powered anti-phishing and anti-malware engines, removes risky emails from users’ inboxes and automatically sends them to quarantine, and monitors internet browsing to detect potential phishing attempts with real-time alerts for system admins, Gaurdz added. Other features include the delivery of active cyber awareness training and tailored phishing simulations for employees to help foster a culture of caution and vigilance, the company said. Phishing used in 44% of social engineering incidentsSocial engineering remains a major threat to businesses with phishing making up 44% of social engineering incidents detected in Verizon’s latest data breach research. The report encouraged companies to step away from the “phishing exercises will continue until click rates improve” stance and adopt a more collaborative approach to security. There are a fair number of controls to consider when confronting this complex threat, and all have pros and cons, the report added. “Due to the strong human element associated with this pattern, many of the controls pertain to helping users detect and report attacks as well as protecting their user accounts in the event that they fall victim to a phishing lure.” Related content brandpost Shifting security left: DevSecOps meets virtualization By Anthony Ricco, CMO of Corellium. 01 Jul 2023 4 mins Security news analysis Attackers add hacked servers to commercial proxy networks for profit Proxyjacking allows attackers to sell unknowing victims' unused network bandwidth. By Lucian Constantin 30 Jun 2023 4 mins Cybercrime news Command-and-control framework PhonyC2 attributed to Iran’s Muddywater group PhonyC2 was used to exploit the log4j vulnerability in the Israeli software SysAid, the attack against Israel’s Technion institute, and the ongoing attack against the PaperCut print management software. By Apurva Venkat 30 Jun 2023 4 mins Advanced Persistent Threats Cyberattacks Vulnerabilities news First state-sponsored cyberattack against UK government revealed two decades later Rare insight marks the 20th anniversary of a state-backed malware attack on a UK government department. By Michael Hill 30 Jun 2023 3 mins Cyberattacks Government Podcasts Videos Resources Events SUBSCRIBE TO OUR NEWSLETTER From our editors straight to your inbox Get started by entering your email address below. Please enter a valid email address Subscribe