KnowBe4, the global leader in digital workforce security, securing both AI agents and humans, today announced new research, Phishing Threat Trends Report Volume Seven. The report finds a seismic shift in the attack vectors utilized to conduct phishing attacks, including touchpoints outside of traditional email communication such as calendar invitations and messaging tools. The report evaluates attacks from more than 3,000 unique threat actors.
86% of phishing attacks were AI driven.
49% increase in calendar invite phishing.
139% surge in the use of Reverse Proxies as a tool to steal Microsoft 365 credentials.
41% escalation in Microsoft Teams attacks.
Shift from single-vector attacks to multi-channel orchestration.
Internal team impersonation seen in 30% of attacks from threat actors in Q1 2026.
The inbox is no longer the only front line for coordinated social engineering attacks. Cybercriminals are actively broadening the email threat landscape. As businesses rely on tools for real-time collaboration, cybercriminals have added this to their attacks, along with targeting people's calendars. This attack method targets people and technology together. The report finds that phishing in 2026 is disciplined, persistent, multi-channel and increasingly AI-enabled. Key findings include a 49% increase in calendar invite phishing, a 139% surge in the use of Reverse Proxies as a tool to steal Microsoft 365 credentials, a 41% escalation in Microsoft Teams attacks, a new trend shifting from single-vector attacks to multi-channel orchestration, and more targeted social engineering exemplified by internal team impersonation which was seen in 30% of attacks from threat actors in Q1 2026.
Social engineering is becoming more targeted, making it more difficult to discern what is legitimate versus what is malicious. As cybercriminals expand their attack channels and evolve their tactics, organizations must focus their protection efforts on securing humans and the AI agents they utilize. KnowBe4's platform provides attack simulation and training, collaboration security, and agent security powered by AIDA (Artificial Intelligence Defense Agents) and a proprietary Risk Score, leveraging 15 years of behavioral data to combat advanced threats including social engineering, prompt injection, and shadow AI.
About KnowBe4
KnowBe4 empowers the modern workforce to make smarter security decisions every day. Trusted by more than 70,000 organizations worldwide, KnowBe4 is the pioneer of digital workforce security, securing both AI agents and humans. The KnowBe4 Platform provides attack simulation and training, collaboration security, and agent security powered by AIDA (Artificial Intelligence Defense Agents) and a proprietary Risk Score. The platform leverages 15-years of behavioral data to combat advanced threats including social engineering, prompt injection, and shadow AI. By securing humans and agents, KnowBe4 leads the industry in workforce trust and defense.
TechIntelPro empowers B2B technology decision-makers with the latest industry trends, deep insights, leadership perspectives and actionable intelligence to drive both organizational and professional milestones—and thrive on the tech pulse.