While phishing scams have been a staple of cyber crime for decades, attacks that use psychological trickery to steal data, commit fraud, or install malware have become the most common threat consumers face. Criminals have seized on the intimacy users have with their phones to launch rip-offs that end up giving direct access to devices or accounts.  

The biggest impact AI has had on cyber crime in 2023 is as bait. ChatGPT has quickly become a top lure for malware, with malicious downloads often posing as legitimate apps. While there is growing evidence that scammers are using generative AI to improve what they do, machine intelligence will likely power increasingly advanced threats. 

Information stealers have emerged as the most common form of malware, making up 89% of the top Windows threats in 2023. This phenomenon has resulted in an avalanche of personal data appearing on the dark web. This information sells for as little as $1 for 100 accounts, feeding a deluge of scams that can escalate to fraud and even identity theft.