In a shocking turn of cyber events, APT35, the Iranian state-sponsored hackers, recently attempted to lure Israeli tech experts with the ingenious guise of AI-powered phishing attacks. Apparently, mixing artificial intelligence with good ol’ blatant lies was the plan. However, after being mistaken for a routine customer support call, their efforts went belly up.

Posing as fictitious assistants, these hackers targeted high-profile cybersecurity gurus and computer science professors, presumably to get tips on securing their own ancient dial-up connections back home. Unfortunately for the hackers, the Israeli experts quickly discerned the charade, leading to nothing more than awkward email exchanges and some overdue software updates.

In a statement that was definitely not fabricated by a bored cybersecurity intern, an Israeli spokesperson noted, ‘We recommend APT35 upgrades from fishing to phishing with a P for a change. Maybe then they’ll catch more than just a whiff of their own desperation.’