Cyber security firm KnowBe4 will lead a roundtable discussion at the ITWeb Security Summit 2026 in Johannesburg, focused on AI-driven phishing attacks and how the local phishing landscape has evolved.
The company says SA's phishing landscape is no longer defined by obvious spelling errors or generic templates. Instead, AI-driven social engineering has created hyper-personalised, contextually accurate attacks launched at a scale previously impossible.
With SA remaining a high-priority target for global cyber crime, companies must move past basic filters to survive this shift, KnowBe4 said.
James Dyer, head of threat intelligence at KnowBe4, will present at the roundtable. He will break down the mechanics of modern social engineering, exploring how attackers now use generative AI to mimic the specific writing styles of executives and bypass traditional security checks.
ITWeb Security Summit 2026
Cyber security leaders looking to stay ahead of evolving threats can join peers and industry experts at ITWeb Security Summit 2026 in Johannesburg and ITWeb Security Summit Cape Town 2026. The events will explore how organisations can strengthen resilience against AI-driven attacks, supply chain risks and emerging cyber threats.
The session will focus on moving away from outdated "red flag" training towards a strategy of active digital armour. Dyer will also lead the discussion on how AI has perfected the language of phishing, making lures indistinguishable from legitimate business communication.
“This is an opportunity to delve into the rising threat of synthetic voice and video in corporate fraud,” said Dyer. “We will also shed light on practical ways to use behavioural analytics and identity-first security to neutralise automated threats. This session is built for leaders who need to understand the current threat climate and equip their teams with the technical and strategic defences required to stop AI-powered adversaries.”
Attendees will see how threat actors are operationalising AI to automate reconnaissance, craft hyper-personalised lures and deliver synthetic interactions that blur the line between human and machine.
Dyer will dissect the campaign's tactics, infrastructure and social engineering methods, highlighting how traditional detection and awareness models are being outpaced.
The roundtable will provide insight into how organisations can adapt – from enhancing phishing resilience and deepfake detection to reshaping threat intelligence processes in an era where seeing and hearing should no longer automatically mean believing.
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