Battling the Bait: Threat Intelligence in Mitigating Phishing Attacks in the United Kingdom

This paper explores the effectiveness of threat intelligence in the detection, prevention and mitigation of phishing attacks. A systematic review of 11 peer reviewed studies was undertaken, followed by thematic analysis to identify the key strategies, challenges and outcomes. The findings are organised into three core themes: enhancing phishing detection though artificial intelligence approaches, utilising cyber threat intelligence for proactive cybersecurity, and responding and adapting to evolving phishing threats and attack methods. Results indicated that while artificial intelligence and cyber threat intelligence are able to significantly enhance early threat detection while reducing false positive rates, significant challenges still remain in relation to data sharing and detection model generalisability. This paper concludes that while threat intelligence is a fundamental tool in combating phishing attacks, its success relies on complex approaches which combine real-time intelligence sharing, continuous user education, and constant technical innovation.