Don’t Be Spooked by AI: How Denver Businesses Can Harness Artificial Intelligence Safely

Artificial intelligence has moved from the realm of science fiction into mainstream business operations. Today, more than three‑quarters of companies worldwide use AI in at least one business function. Adoption is accelerating across industries. Far from being limited to Silicon Valley giants, AI tools are powering everyday tasks for 78 % of small businesses—from automated chatbots and marketing analytics to predictive maintenance and HR recruitment. This wave of innovation is reshaping how organizations operate, compete and grow.

Yet there’s a spooky side to the boom. Just as businesses are discovering the productivity benefits of machine learning, cybercriminals are leveraging the same technologies to orchestrate sophisticated attacks. From deepfake video calls and AI‑generated phishing emails to malware disguised as “productivity tools,” the threats are evolving fast. For Denver‑area businesses, especially small to mid‑sized firms without dedicated security teams, these dangers are very real.

As a local managed IT provider, eCreek IT Solutions watches these trends closely. Our core values—we care, we commit, we learn, and we grow—guide everything we do. We value our team and our customers, listening and helping with what matters most.

Adoption: A Treat for Business Growth

Businesses are racing to adopt AI technologies because it makes operations more efficient and cost‑effective. According to a 2025 analysis, 78 % of companies have adopted AI technologies, and these firms typically use it in three different functions. The most common areas include IT automation, marketing and sales, and service operations. Out of roughly 359 million companies worldwide, about 280 million use AI in at least one business function. In the United States alone, private investment in AI reached roughly $109 billion, nearly 12 times more than China’s investment.

This broad adoption means Denver firms can’t afford to ignore AI. Automated tools help process invoices, route service tickets, analyze sales pipelines and even monitor network performance.

Small businesses in Colorado are embracing AI as an opportunity to grow, not replace human workers. It acts as an amplifier of human intelligence, augmenting people’s capabilities rather than replacing them. In fact, many of the most effective tools work behind the scenes—surfacing insights, highlighting anomalies and automating repetitive tasks so staff can deliver higher‑value services.

Doppelgängers in Your Video Chats – Deepfake Attacks

It sounds like something from a horror movie: a trusted executive appears in a Zoom call, instructing an employee to install a “microphone update” or approve a wire transfer. But the executive is an AI‑generated impostor.

Why are deepfake attacks so effective? Modern AI algorithms can generate realistic voice and video clones from minutes of audio or video footage. Attackers collect publicly available recordings of a CEO or CFO (from webinars, earnings calls or social media) and use generative models to fabricate video streams. The resulting “executive” can converse fluently, share slides and instruct employees—all without the real person’s knowledge. When combined with social‑engineering tactics (fake meeting invites, urgent requests or peer pressure), deepfakes make traditional verification processes difficult. Even if an employee is trained to be skeptical of emails, a live video call from the “boss” can override caution.

How to Spot the Phantoms

1. Inconsistencies – Look for mismatched lighting, unnatural blinking or facial features that seem slightly off. In the BlueNoroff attack, minor delays and lighting issues were clues that the video wasn’t genuine.

2. Check the domain – Ensure meeting links are legitimate (e.g., zoom.com). Attackers sometimes send Calendly or third‑party scheduling links that redirect to spoofed video platforms.

3. Verify by phone – If an executive requests sensitive actions, call them on a known phone number to confirm. Multi‑factor identity checks remain one of the best defenses against impersonation.

4. Educate your team – Regular security awareness training helps employees recognize red flags, such as unusual requests or urgent file downloads. eCreek offers training programs that review social engineering scenarios.

Creepy Crawlies in Your Inbox – Generated Phishing Emails

Phishing e‑mails have plagued businesses for decades, but generative technology takes this threat to a new level. Today’s attackers feed models with legitimate corporate e‑mail templates, adjust tone and grammar, and churn out countless phishing variations—without human involvement. These tools can even translate landing pages or e‑mails into multiple languages, broadening the victim pool.

Phishing kits with built‑in generative AI are now available on cyber‑crime marketplaces. The Darcula platform, for example, is a “phishing‑as‑a‑service” ecosystem that allows criminals to create customized phishing websites with little technical expertise.

The implications are chilling. Instead of spotting poorly written e‑mails with obvious spelling errors, employees now encounter messages that sound professional, reference internal projects and come from apparently legitimate domains. AI can also scrape information from social media to personalize messages—name‑dropping colleagues or referencing recent events—to build trust. Phishing detection filters must therefore evolve beyond simple keyword matching and analyze metadata, user behavior and contextual cues.

How to Keep the Bugs at Bay

• Enable multi‑factor authentication (MFA) – Even if credentials are phished, MFA blocks unauthorized access. Attackers rarely have access to your staff’s physical devices or biometric factors.

• Educate employees – Training should cover how AI can generate polished scams. Teach staff to hover over links, verify senders and report suspicious messages.

• Use modern email security tools – eCreek deploys email security gateways that inspect attachments and link behavior. These systems analyze sender reputation, examine link redirects in real time and quarantine suspicious messages.

Skeleton Tools – Malware Disguised as Innovation

The popularity of these technologies has created a rush of new applications promising to write code, generate videos or design marketing materials. Cybercriminals see this hype as an opportunity. In May 2025, threat‑intelligence firm Google Mandiant released a report on UNC6032, a Vietnam‑linked group that executed a year‑long malware campaign. The group purchased deceptive ads on Facebook and LinkedIn for fake video generation tools. Users who clicked were redirected to look‑alike websites offering powered video creation. Instead of receiving genuine tools, victims downloaded malware‑laced files.

Mandiant’s analysis showed the ads reached about 2.3 million users in the European Union. These fraudulent campaigns delivered info‑stealers and backdoors, giving criminals access to victims’ data and systems.

Similarly, other malware campaigns hide behind generative AI hype. Attackers use AI‑themed brand names to distribute trojans, crypto‑stealers and remote‑access tools. Some campaigns embed malicious macros in AI‑related documents or claim to be generative AI plug‑ins that require elevated permissions. In the BlueNoroff deepfake attack, for example, the malicious script launched a genuine Zoom SDK page to appear legitimate, then downloaded a second‑stage payload from a spoofed domain. Additional custom tools (e.g., Telegram 2, Root Troy V4, InjectWithDyld and CryptoBot) provided persistence, remote code execution, surveillance and cryptocurrency theft.

Strategies for Dodging Undead Software

• Vet any new AI tool – Before downloading software, ask your IT provider (like eCreek) to verify authenticity. Look for trusted vendors, check reviews, and avoid unknown or unofficial sources.

• Use application allow‑listing – Restrict workstations so only approved applications can run. This blocks unauthorized executables and reduces the attack surface.

• Keep systems patched – Many malware campaigns rely on outdated software vulnerabilities. Regularly update operating systems, browsers and plugins. eCreek uses automated patch management tools to keep clients current.

• Monitor for anomalies – Endpoint detection and response (EDR) solutions can spot malicious behavior (e.g., unauthorized script execution or unusual network connections) and quarantine threats before damage occurs.

The Benefits and Challenges of AI for Small Businesses

AI isn’t all ghosts and ghouls. When implemented responsibly, it helps small businesses achieve efficiency, accuracy and scalability. AI‑driven analytics can reveal sales trends, predict inventory needs and automate time‑consuming manual tasks.

However, the accelerating adoption raises important questions:

• Skills Gap – Many organizations find it difficult to recruit and train employees with AI expertise. Yet continuous learning is essential. eCreek lives this value by embracing curiosity and humility, listening and researching to provide better solutions. We encourage clients to invest in staff education so they can leverage AI tools effectively while understanding the risks.

• Data Quality and Bias – AI algorithms rely on data; poor‑quality or biased data leads to unfair outcomes. Ensuring data accuracy, completeness and representativeness is critical.

• Regulatory Compliance – Laws such as Colorado’s Consumer Privacy Act, HIPAA and industry‑specific regulations govern how data can be collected, stored and used. Non‑compliance can lead to fines and reputational damage.

• Security and Privacy – Sensitive customer information must be protected. AI can expose new attack surfaces (e.g., model inputs and outputs) that need to be secured.

Understanding these challenges is the first step. The next is building an ethical framework for AI in your organization.

Building Ethical AI on eCreek’s Core Values

Responsible AI isn’t just a technology problem; it’s about people, processes and ethics. Harvard’s Division of Continuing Education outlines five key principles for ethical AI: fairness, transparency, accountability, privacy and security. These principles map naturally onto eCreek’s core values:

1. Fairness – AI outputs should treat all groups equitably. Fairness criteria often relate to legally protected attributes such as race or gender. eCreek’s “We Care” value means we listen to what matters to clients and strive to deliver technology that doesn’t inadvertently discriminate. We evaluate data sets and models for bias. For example, we recommend HR AI tools that consider multiple fairness criteria when screening resumes.

2. Transparency – Knowing what goes into an algorithm is crucial. Transparency helps ensure the tool is unbiased. At eCreek, we “Commit” by taking extreme ownership and delivering results. That ownership extends to explaining how AI tools work, which data they use and what limitations exist. We guide clients through AI procurement, focusing on vendors that offer clear documentation and audit trails.

3. Accountability – Someone must be held accountable for AI outcomes. AI itself can’t experience consequences, so organizations need frameworks defining who is responsible. eCreek works with clients to assign clear roles—executives set policies, IT teams manage implementation and employees report anomalies. Our “We Commit” value means we stand by our solutions and rectify issues promptly.

4. Privacy – AI relies on data, but personally identifiable information (PII) such as names, Social Security numbers or medical records must remain confidential. eCreek offers managed cybersecurity services that include encryption, network segmentation and secure backup, ensuring compliance with regulations. This aligns with our “We Care” value; we treat our clients’ data like our own.

5. Security – To maintain privacy, organizations must protect internal and private data from attacks. This includes strong encryption, strict identity and access management policies, and anonymization of data used for training. Our “We Grow” value means we adopt and adapt leading security frameworks (Zero Trust, NIST) to meet clients’ evolving needs.

By combining these ethical principles with our core values, we help Denver businesses integrate AI responsibly. We also support continuous education—offering workshops on AI ethics, data governance and cybersecurity—for our clients’ teams.

Embracing Responsibly: What You Can Do Today

• Audit your AI tools – List the AI services your business uses (chatbots, analytics, automation) and review their security features. Evaluate whether they collect unnecessary data or expose sensitive information. Replace or upgrade tools that don’t meet ethical and security standards.

• Update your policies – Create or revise policies around AI usage, data retention and employee training. Define clear accountability structures for AI decisions and outputs.

• Invest in security and privacy – Implement MFA, endpoint detection and encryption for data in transit and at rest. Remember that strong security enables.

• Train your team – Host regular sessions on AI awareness, deepfake recognition, phishing identification and ethical data use. Encourage employees to question suspicious requests and report anomalies.

• Partner with experts – Managed IT providers like eCreek offer dedicated security operations, compliance expertise and AI strategy consulting. We stay up to date on evolving threats so you can focus on running your business.

Conclusion: Don’t Get Spooked—Partner with eCreek

AI is transforming business at breakneck speed. It offers undeniable advantages—automation, data‑driven insights and personalized customer experiences—that help small and mid‑sized firms compete with larger enterprises.

The good news? You don’t have to navigate this haunted maze alone. eCreek’s core values ensure we care about your success, commit to doing the job right, learn continuously and grow with your needs.

Are you ready to face the AI ghosts in your IT environment? Schedule a free consultation with eCreek today and let us help you turn AI from a frightful foe into your competitive ally.