Emails remain the frontline for cyber-threats, and in 2025 the game has shifted: AI is now being used both by attackers and defenders. According to the Fortra “2025 Email Threat Intelligence Report,” nearly 99% of email threats reaching corporate inboxes bypassed legacy filters. Fortra For SMBs—often with lean IT/resources—the implications are stark: what used to be “one phishing email now and then” is becoming something far more sophisticated, automated, and tailored.

One key trend is AI-driven phishing and impersonation. Attackers are leveraging generative AI and large datasets to craft emails that mimic trusted senders, adopt realistic tone and context, and bypass traditional spam filters. For example, meanwhile, analysts forecast that AI-generated and multi-stage email attacks (in which the first message appears harmless, builds trust, then triggers fraud) are on the rise. PR Newswire For SMBs this means that standard “catch the misspelled sender name” advice is no longer enough.

At the same time, AI is being deployed to enhance email defences. The email-security-market overview from Abnormal AI shows how cloud-native, AI-powered platforms are replacing older secure-email gateways. Abnormal AI These solutions can analyse email metadata, content patterns, attachments, headers, links—and flag anomalies far faster and with fewer false positives than rule-based filters alone. For an SMB, that means less time chasing alerts and more confidence that your email channel isn’t the weak link.

https://nypost.com/2025/10/03/tech/most-adults-couldnt-differentiate-between-authentic-ai-phishing-emails/?utm_source=chatgpt.com