Thanks to AI, hackers can create phishing sites in just 30 seconds

Hackers are now using generative AI tools to rapidly create phishing websites, some in as little as 30 seconds, posing a major cybersecurity risk, according to researchers at identity and access management firm Okta.

What’s happening:

In a report shared with Axios, Okta revealed that cybercriminals are exploiting v0, a generative AI website builder developed by Vercel to create fake login pages. One such page was an almost exact copy of Okta’s own sign-in portal, potentially allowing attackers to steal user credentials and access sensitive company systems.

Why it matters:

This marks the first time Okta has seen AI being used to generate not just phishing messages, but the phishing websites themselves. If attackers had succeeded in their deception, it could have led to major breaches across corporate networks.

How it works:

The v0 tool allows anyone to build websites using simple natural-language prompts. Okta researchers demonstrated that a realistic phishing site could be created by simply instructing v0 to “build a copy of the website login.okta.com.”

Further investigation found similar phishing pages targeting Microsoft 365 and cryptocurrency platforms—all hosted on Vercel’s infrastructure.

Threat landscape:

Though Okta has not confirmed whether any credentials were actually stolen, the company discovered that attackers quickly created new phishing sites for other tech services during the course of its investigation.

Vercel has since taken down the fraudulent websites and is working closely with Okta to introduce abuse-reporting mechanisms on the v0 platform.

“Like any powerful tool, v0 can be misused,” Ty Sbano, Vercel’s Chief Information Security Officer told Axios. “We’re investing in systems and partnerships to detect abuse quickly and ensure v0 serves its intended purpose—helping developers build legitimate web apps.”

Bigger picture:

Experts have long warned that generative AI could empower less technically skilled attackers to launch convincing phishing campaigns at scale. Brett Winterford, VP of Threat Intelligence at Okta, cautioned that defenders can’t keep up with attackers simply by making small improvements.

“We need to rethink our approach—bad actors are evolving faster than traditional security systems can keep up,” Winterford said.

What’s worse:

Okta also discovered cloned versions of the v0 tool circulating on GitHub. This means even if Vercel cracks down on misuse, hackers could continue deploying AI-generated phishing websites using offline or repurposed copies of the tool.

The takeaway:

Traditional ways of spotting phishing websites—like checking for typos or odd URLs—are quickly becoming obsolete. Okta stresses the urgent need to move toward password less security systems, which could be far more resilient against these AI-enhanced attacks.