Email continues to be the backbone of business communication—but it’s also the most targeted channel for cyberattacks. As we move through 2025, new trends are emerging in the world of email security, and businesses in Chicagoland need to stay ahead of them.
Trend #1: AI-Driven Phishing Campaigns
Attackers are now using AI to craft highly personalized phishing messages. These messages may include references to recent meetings, personal details scraped from social media, or even mimic an employee’s writing style. The days of broken-English phishing emails are long gone.
Trend #2: Deepfake Voicemail and Video Integration
Some phishing campaigns now use deepfake audio or video messages to impersonate executives, adding a layer of credibility to fake requests. This is especially dangerous in finance or HR departments, where wire transfers and sensitive data are handled.
Trend #3: Encrypted Email Attacks
While encryption is typically used to protect information, attackers are now using it to bypass traditional scanners. Encrypted malicious payloads are harder to detect, especially if your email security tools don’t decrypt and inspect attachments in real time.
Trend #4: Business Email Compromise (BEC) 2.0
BEC scams have evolved beyond simple wire fraud. Attackers now aim to manipulate vendors, intercept payroll updates, or modify invoice instructions. These attacks are hard to detect and don’t always involve malware—just social engineering and access.
Trend #5: Cloud Email Threats
As businesses move to Microsoft 365 and Google Workspace, attackers are targeting these cloud-based systems. Credential harvesting and lateral movement across integrated apps are becoming common.
To defend against these trends, companies must adopt layered defenses—AI-powered threat detection, multi-factor authentication, encryption tools, phishing awareness training, and domain protection protocols like DMARC.
Email threats are changing—but your defenses can evolve, too.
If you are interested in learning more, schedule a call today.