AironWorks: AI-powered email security tool for reliable spear phishing detection

About the client

AironWorks is an Israeli–Japanese cybersecurity startup specializing in AI-powered security awareness training and phishing detection using AI. With the rise of AI, spear phishers can produce phishing emails much faster, posing a significant threat to the corporate world. Therefore, AironWorks aims to counter this growing threat by using AI not just to detect spear phishing attempts but to provide employees with the tools they need to identify and report attacks quickly and effectively.

AironWorks on a mission of strengthening corporate cyber resilience

The AironWorks team regularly gathers user feedback and strives to adjust their product offering to the customers’ needs. Yalantis assists AironWorks on that mission. After successfully collaborating with us to enhance the stability, security, and performance of their core cybersecurity platform, AironWorks sought our expertise in phishing detection tool development.

They started musing on how to create an AI-assisted phishing detection tool. Spotting the AI-infused and costly issue of spear phishing in the corporate world, AironWorks recognized that:

• Phishing is becoming more deceptive. Traditional email security filters struggle with the growing sophistication of AI-powered phishing attacks.
• User engagement is key. Employees are the first line of defense, but they need intuitive tools to help them report phishing attempts effortlessly.
• Speed and accuracy are critical. Organizations require an AI phishing detection tool that delivers real-time feedback and integrates seamlessly into their existing workflow.

Solution scope: AI-based email phishing detection via plugins

The Yalantis engineering team worked closely with AironWorks to build custom security plugins for Outlook and Gmail for their phishing detection tool, allowing users to verify email safety directly within their inboxes.

The solution needed to:

• have a native user experience
• integrate with an AI-based phishing detection model via a secure and trusted backend logic
• offer users built-in reports on the nature of their email via the Outlook and Gmail interface

Key characteristics of the AironWorks email security plugins

      1.Branded UI/UX for user trust and recognition

• Custom design to align with AironWorks’ visual identity.
• Drop-down list detailing phishing risk factors.
• Risk assessment bar showing the email threat level.
• Quick-access contact form to notify security teams.

      2. Backend architecture enabling secure AI Integration

• For security reasons, the front end in Outlook and Gmail does not directly communicate with the model for phishing prevention with AI.
• The backend acts as a secure intermediary, processing email safety requests while ensuring smooth performance.
• Built-in request handling prevents delays by automatically managing AI response times.   

       3. Advanced AI validation for reliable threat detection

• AI scans email content using a machine learning algorithm to detect phishing indicators.
• Additional security checks verify sender domains against a database of risky domains.
• An extra automated validation layer ensures AI-generated results are free from hallucinations and biases.

Overcoming challenges: Engineering around platform limitations

Integrating security plugins into Google and Microsoft’s tightly controlled environments required extensive research and innovative problem-solving. Our team:

• Conducted deep technical research into Microsoft and Google’s add-on limitations.
• Applied reverse engineering techniques to develop workarounds that allowed us to successfully and on time make AironWorks plugins functional.
• Implemented security best practices to ensure seamless performance without compromising privacy or data integrity.

Results: Frictionless, AI-powered security experience

With AironWorks’ email security plugins, organizations now have:

• Built-in anti-phishing mechanism. Employees can verify email authenticity with a single click.
• Enhanced cybersecurity awareness. Built-in phishing reporting trains employees to recognize threats.
• Seamless integration. Works natively within Outlook and Gmail without disrupting workflows.
• Reliable threat intelligence. Automated AI phishing detection backed by additional validation layers.

Future plans to expand AI-driven cybersecurity services

Our partnership with AironWorks is ongoing, with the next phase focusing on a web-based phishing simulation tool that will allow organizations to:

• Generate AI-crafted phishing scenarios for employee training.
• Customize phishing attack templates based on industry-specific threats.
• Measure employee response rates and cybersecurity awareness improvements.

Our team will specifically focus on:

• Intuitive and user-friendly UI/UX
• Backend architecture
• AI prompt refinement
• Solution testing
• Documentation and ongoing support