Anticipating emerging attack methodologies is crucial for proactive
cybersecurity. Recent advances in Large Language Models (LLMs) have enabled the
automated generation of phishing messages and accelerated research into
potential attack techniques. However, predicting future threats remains
challenging due to reliance on existing training data. To address this
limitation, we propose a novel framework that integrates LLM-based phishing
attack simulations with a genetic algorithm in a psychological context,
enabling phishing strategies to evolve dynamically through adversarial
interactions with simulated victims. Through simulations using Llama 3.1, we
demonstrate that (1) self-evolving phishing strategies employ increasingly
sophisticated psychological manipulation techniques, surpassing naive
LLM-generated attacks, (2) variations in a victim's prior knowledge
significantly influence the evolution of attack strategies, and (3) adversarial
interactions between evolving attacks and adaptive defenses create a
cat-and-mouse dynamic, revealing an inherent asymmetry in cybersecurity --
attackers continuously refine their methods, whereas defenders struggle to
comprehensively counter all evolving threats. Our approach provides a scalable,
cost-effective method for analyzing the evolution of phishing strategies and
defenses, offering insights into future social engineering threats and
underscoring the necessity of proactive cybersecurity measures.