GenAI tools are reshaping the cybercrime landscape by enabling criminals to refine their methods, and automate and personalize their techniques. With 47% of organizations citing their top concern surrounding GenAI as the advance of adversarial capabilities, cybercriminals are harnessing the efficiency of AI to automate and personalize deceptive communications. Some 42% of organizations experienced a successful social engineering attack in the past year, a number that can only increase with advances and the malicious adoption of AI.AI as a catalyst of cybercrime 0 10% 5% 15% 25% 35% 45% 20% 30% 40% 50%Which cybersecurity issues related to GenAI concern you the most? Advance of adversarial capabilities (e.g. phishing, malware development, deepfakes) Data leaks (exposure of personal data through GenAI)47% 22% Increased complexity of security governance 14%Others (software supply chain risks, AI system security, legal concerns of intellectual property)17%Cybersecurity issues linked to GenAI FIGURE 6 Cybercriminals are using GenAI to convincingly replicate the communication styles of an organization’s senior leaders. These tools harness contextual data from sources such as social media, public statements or leaked documents, making social engineering attempts much more sophisticated and challenging to identify. GenAI also supports attackers in developing credible social engineering attacks in a wider range of languages, which helps threat actors target a greater number of people in more countries at a lower cost. Global Cybersecurity Outlook 2025 15