Phishing emails just met their match

MICROSOFT

Phishing emails just met their match

Cyberattacks are now so complex and frequent that Microsoft says AI is the only way to keep up.

The company tracked 30 billion phishing emails last year, far too many for humans to handle.

In response, it’s launching 11 AI cybersecurity agents to scan emails, block attacks, and trace where threats begin.

These agents will support IT and cybersecurity teams, not everyday Windows users.

Unlike typical AI assistants, these agents act on their own.

Some are built by Microsoft, others by partners, and all will sit within the company’s Copilot platform.

Each one has a clearly defined role and limited access to data.

Cybercrime has grown into a $9.2 trillion industry, fuelled by ready-made malware and AI-generated tools sold on the dark web.

Microsoft says there’s been a fivefold rise in organised hacking groups.

Here’s what to know:

• Microsoft is deploying 11 AI agents to strengthen businesses' cybersecurity.

• These tools act independently to detect and stop complex threats.

• Privacy concerns remain, but Microsoft says safeguards are in place.

Hackers hustle, so should AI

Still, experts are cautious.

Some warn that these autonomous tools may increase pressure to access private data.

Microsoft says it’s playing a “zero trust” model to ensure agents follow strict rules.

The rollout will be closely watched.

Just last year, a security software glitch linked to Microsoft systems caused the biggest outage in computing history, affecting millions of machines worldwide.

The dark web is basically the Etsy for malware now.