Deepfakes & Cybersecurity: Why Strong Processes Beat AI Detection Tools
Top cybersecurity experts say threat actors don't need AI to launch successful attacks—yet deepfakes are changing the game with it comes to social engineering.
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While deepfakes may seem like high-tech cyber attack tools, the core danger lies in social engineering, which manipulates people into taking actions and revealing sensitive information. A deepfake will use AI to mimic a person's voice or likeness, essentially tricking attack targets into believing they are dealing with someone they know and trust. This makes some traditional verification methods, such as voice recognition, less reliable for organizations relying on them for security.
IANS Faculty Jake Williams explained that deepfakes are just new tools for social engineering, and organizations should focus on strengthening their security processes rather than relying solely on AI detection tools. Watch the full video:
AI has progressed quickly and even low-level attackers can access the technology to create deepfakes, but deepfakes don't represent a fundamentally new threat. Instead, deepfakes are able to amplify deception tactics by making it easier to impersonate voices and images. That's why the best defense can't simply be new technology; it must also include strong internal processes to ensure authentication doesn't depend solely on someone's voice, video, or likeness.
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