AI is the ultimate double-edged sword. On one side: innovation, productivity, growth. On the other: a brand-new toolkit for cybercriminals.

And just like haunted houses in October, attackers are getting better at jump scares, using AI to create believable fakes, write polished scams, and disguise malware as “must-have” tools.

Here are the AI “monsters in the dark” you really need to watch out for (and how to keep them from haunting your business):

🎃 The Doppelgänger: Deepfakes in Video Calls

Remember when spotting a scam was as easy as catching a typo? Those days are gone. AI-powered deepfakes are now lifelike enough to impersonate executives on live video calls.

How to protect your team:

• Teach staff to look for deepfake red flags: weird lighting, frozen expressions, long pauses.
• Always verify sensitive requests outside the platform via a phone call or secure messaging app.
• Don’t let urgency override process. If it feels rushed, pause.

🕷️ The Creepy Crawlies: AI-Powered Phishing

Phishing emails aren’t new but AI makes them harder to spot. No more broken English or laughable grammar errors. These messages are smooth, localized, and frighteningly convincing.

Attackers are also scaling up: using AI to translate campaigns into dozens of languages, flooding inboxes worldwide.

How to protect your team:

• Train employees to spot subtler red flags: urgent language, unexpected attachments, strange sender domains.
• Use MFA everywhere. Even if someone falls for a phish, attackers can’t get in without the second factor.
• Layer defenses with email filtering, DNS security, and phishing simulations.

💀  The Skeleton Tools: Malware Disguised as AI

Cybercriminals know “AI” is a buzzword. That’s why they’re baiting victims with fake tools, AI video generators, “cracked” ChatGPT apps, and other too-good-to-be-true downloads.

🔎 Example: A TikTok account promoted PowerShell commands to “unlock” ChatGPT. In reality, it was spreading malware in bulk.

How to protect your team:

• Only download AI tools from vetted, official sources.
• Ask your MSP to validate new platforms before adoption.
• Reinforce security awareness so employees don’t chase shiny tools blindly.

Don’t Let AI Ghosts Haunt Your Business 👻

Yes, AI threats are evolving. But you don’t have to lose sleep over them. With the right mix of awareness training, MFA, and tool vetting, your team can stay ahead of even the creepiest attacks.

This Cybersecurity Awareness Month, let ACT review your defenses, test your awareness training, and build AI-proof protections before hackers do.

Schedule a free Discovery Call today.