AI-Based Phishing Attacks: A Socio-Technical Framework for Criminal Psychology and Forensic Investigation

Generative artificial intelligence has fundamentally altered the phishing threat landscape. This paper develops a socio-technical framework integrating behavioural theories with technical and forensic perspectives to explain how generative AI transforms phishing attack tactics, attacker decision-making and the requirements of digital forensic investigation. Based on a systematic literature synthesis and concept-matrix analysis of 238 empirical and conceptual sources, the analysis shows that AI materially increases phishing realism and personalisation, lowers the marginal cost of sophisticated attacks, and complicates attribution and forensic response. The paper contributes a conceptual model linking AI-enabled attack capabilities to defender and investigator implications, and derives practical guidance for security teams and forensic practitioners.

Prepared by the Cianaa research team.