For instance, cybercriminals can create a fake video of a CEO requesting a wire transfer or authorising a payment, which can be used to steal corporate funds. Compromising videos or images of individuals can be created, which can be used to extort money or information from them. Cybercriminals can also use deepfakes to spread false information or manipulate public opinion. 55% of employees surveyed in South Africa believe their company can lose money because of deepfakes.
A deepfake of Elon Musk promoting a new cryptocurrency scam
“Even though many employees claimed that they could spot a deepfake, our research showed that only half of them could actually do it. It is quite common for users to overestimate their digital skills; for organisations this means vulnerabilities in their human firewall and potential cyber risks – to infrastructure, funds, and products,” comments Dmitry Anikin, Senior Data Scientist at Kaspersky. “Continuous monitoring of the Dark Web resources provides valuable insights into the deepfake industry, allowing researchers to track the latest trends and activities of threat actors in this space. This monitoring is a critical component of deepfake research which helps to improve our understanding of the evolving threat landscape. Kaspersky's Digital Footprint Intelligence service includes such monitoring to help its customers stay ahead of the curve when it comes to deepfake-related threats.”
To be protected from threats related to deepfakes, Kaspersky recommends:
References:
¹2,000 employees across SMBs & enterprises were surveyed in the Middle East, Turkiye, Africa region in 2023.
²First, respondents were asked if they could distinguish a deepfake from a real image. Then they were given two images from videos with a popular American actor, and one of these images was from a deepfake video. The respondents were then asked to indicate which of the images was real and which was fake.