Deepfake technology in the last few years has transitioned from a mere internet curiosity to a genuine security threat. Initially developed for entertainment or harmless experiments, deepfakes have since become high tech instruments of deception – known as deepfake attacks.
The risk of deepfake attacks against people, businesses and governments is increasing rapidly as synthetic media becomes easier to create and harder to detect. In this blog post, we are going to see what are deepfake attacks, how do they work, some real-world examples, and why they are important.
What is a Deepfake Attack?
A deepfake attack occurs when an individual employs AI-created fake videos, audio, or pictures to impersonate another person to trick others — mostly to commit fraud, influence opinions, or damage reputations.
Whereas with simple Photoshop edits, deepfakes can imitate someone’s voice, face, expressions, and mannerisms so realistically that trained humans will have a hard time figuring out what’s real and what’s fake.
How Do Deepfake Attacks Work?
The deepfake attacks usually consist of three steps:
Data Collection
The attacker harvests photos, videos or audio samples of the target from social media, youtube, interview or public records.
Deepfake Creation
The attacker uses AI algorithms (GANs – Generative Adversarial Networks), to generate synthetic media that mimics the target in appearance and sounds.
Attack Execution
The fake media is employed to engage in criminal activities including:Scamming people into transferring money or giving away confidential information.
Damaging a person’s reputation.
Manipulating elections or public opinion.
Bypassing security systems.
Real-World Examples of Deepfake Attacks
Corporate Fraud:
In 2019, the criminals used AI-generated voice clone of a CEO to deceive the employee into remitting $243,000 to a fraudster’s account.
Political Manipulation:
Politicians’ deepfakes have been distributed to spread mis-information, manipulate voters or instigate unrest.
Personal Scams:
Cybercriminals have been using deepfakes to fake call or video with family members or friends who ask victims for urgent help or money.
Social Media Hoaxes:
Fake celebrity, influencer or public figure videos are used to spread false claims, cause scandals or share viral misinformation.
Why Are Deepfake Attacks Dangerous?
Difficult to Detect:
Highly advanced deepfakes are quite hard to tell apart from the naked eye or ear.
Erodes Trust:
The lack of trust people put on video or audio evidence weakens people’s trust in media, governments, and institutions.
Financial Impact:
Businesses stand at the risk of losing a lot of money through deepfake scams and fraud.
Security Threats:
Deepfakes can bypass the biometric security systems which are based on the face or voice authentication.
Defending against Deepfake Attacks: How Can We?
Liveness Detection
Technology that confirms whether a face or voice is real (and not a recording or synthetic copy) – in real-time.
Deepfake Detection Tools
AI tools designed to examine media for manipulation that involve seeking slight hints such as unnatural blinking, lighting discrepancies, or voice discrepancies.
Public Awareness
Awareness of the dangers of deepfake detection can minimize the tendency of people falling prey to scams.
Regulation and Laws
Deepfake creators are in the process of being held accountable and victims are protected by governments as they begin to bring in laws.
Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA)
Additional security layers, such as pin codes or one time passwords can be used to prevent deepfake attacks to authentication systems.
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Conclusion
Deepfake attacks are no longer a threat in the future – they’re happening now and their impact is only increasing on individuals, businesses and governments. With the advancement of technology behind deepfakes, our defenses have to be as well.
There are three key steps to decreasing the danger of deepfake attacks: purchasing detection systems, raising public awareness, and having smart security measures.
