Weaponized Email AI Assistants Could Help Attackers Hijack Accounts

Researchers at Barracuda Networks demonstrated how attackers can exploit AI assistants built into email accounts to conduct sophisticated account hijacking attacks. In their proof of concept, attackers with a compromised lower-level email account used the AI chatbot to cover their tracks, gather intelligence about the organization, craft convincing phishing emails mimicking the compromised user's writing style, and ultimately hijack a CEO's account to authorize fraudulent wire transfers. The attack works because the resulting phishing emails come from legitimate accounts, bypass security filters, and match the expected communication patterns of trusted employees.