Brand impersonation could be the next big trend spawned by the rise of deepfakes and synthetic media, a LevelBlue expert has warned.
In episodes 1 and 2 of this special IT Channel Oxygen podcast, we discussed cyber’s most under-rated threats and whether AI is killing cyber as we know it, respectively (see here and here).
In episode 3, the spotlight moved to how deepfakes have advanced from a novelty to a serious business threat.
“Where things move next”
Talking to host Sara Driscoll, Tom Roch, Head of Investigations & Response at LevelBlue, claimed technology advancements, combined with falling costs, have made deepfakes readily accessible to cybercriminals.
“If you’ve got a computer at home, you can just download some open source, free software and create relatively convincing deepfakes, relatively easily,” Roch said.
Deepfakes are currently “doing damage” in two key areas, namely financial fraud and gaining illicit access to networks, according to Roch.
“I think brand impersonation is going to be where things move next,” he predicted.
“There’s going to be threat actors creating synthetic materials that essentially undermine an organisation’s values, or ways it wants to do business.”
It’s “very, very difficult” to train staff to identify deepfakes, Darren Kewley, Technical Director at Protos Networks acknowledged during the podcast.
The onset of regulations like the Cyber Security & Resilience Bill is forcing companies to think more about resilience, however, he said.
“By putting those more resilient processes, procedures and technical controls in place, if someone falls foul of a trick, there should be another rake they stand on,” he said.
Don’t miss the final episode of this special IT Channel Oxygen podcast, where LevelBlue and one of its partners will be discussing the future of cyber.
This article was produced in association with LevelBlue and is classified as partner content. What is partner content? See more here.
