Is your business deepfake ready?

Regardless of your knowledge level, deepfakes are here to change the world as we know it. Unfortunately, we now increasingly see them weaponized and used to target private individuals, employees, and organizations. Advances in real-time voice and video cloning have led to a new breed of AI fraud that is making it increasingly difficult to know whether what people are seeing and hearing is real or not.

Recently, actually international research out of nearly 25,000 people, it was found that 33% had already experienced deepfake attacks or scams for personal information and/or money.

And although the report showed that the public is adapting to the threat, s 49% claim they question the authenticity of the news and 60% authenticity of online content more than before, the same cannot be said for business. Only separate studies show 30% of executives they consider cyber security to be the most important priority in their organization – with ranked deepfakes the lowest threats in terms of overall concern.

Combine that with the fact that it existed an increase of 223%. in buying and selling deepfake tools on the dark web between the first quarters of 2023 and 2024, and only fourth organization has comprehensive strategies to ensure positive employee experiences and results with generative artificial intelligence, the question now becomes “What should companies do?” The answer is that it is imperative for them to educate themselves about deepfake technology now.

In the simplest terms, this means major changes in organizational ways of thinking about all things online. Success will come from a combination of improved cybersecurity policies, leadership alignment, and above all, thorough staff education and training, both at speed and scale.

This last part is vital because the pace of technological advancement around deepfake, along with the more general dynamism of the IT landscape, means that both employers and employees must adapt quickly to minimize disruption and maintain business continuity. In addition, learning at a larger scale provides organizations with the necessary internal infrastructure and talent to thrive in this new environment, leading to increased productivity, reduced errors and better overall performance.

Both employees and employers must:

• Be skeptical of content that seems too good to be true. Deepfakes are often used to create fake news or spread misinformation. If something seems too outrageous or unbelievable, it’s best to err on the side of caution and check it out before sharing it. Check the company’s official website (this may be shown with a blue tick on some platforms).
• Reconsider requests that are out of character. Just like other forms of social engineering, deepfakes are used to attack companies. Asking employees to change payment accounts or transfer money outside of normal protocols are two common attacks, often appearing to come from the CEO or other senior executive. Be wary of these types of unusual requests and always confirm with the right leaders in your company before taking action.
• Pay attention to the source of the content. Deepfakes often manipulate emotions to encourage the download of dangerous software or the sharing of personal information that spreads through social media or other online platforms; telling you to “act now” because your computer has been hacked or you’ve won something. Be cautious when receiving email, unsolicited direct messages, text messages, phone calls, or other digital communications if the source is unknown and always verify the identity of the sender.
• Look for signs of manipulation. Deepfakes are often created by manipulating existing videos or images and if looked at properly, most people can detect things like irregular vocals and AI-generated shadows around a person’s eyes. Look for things like unnatural movements, strange facial expressions, or inconsistent lighting, as well as broken sentences, unusual language, and unnatural emphasis on words. Other telltale signs include unrealistic mouth movements, blinking patterns, and body parts that look unnatural. As deepfake technology improves, subtle inconsistencies that could give away a fake video are becoming harder to spot, making security testing, monitoring and dedicated detection tools critical to identifying manipulated content.
• Educate yourself about deepfakes. The more you know about deepfakes, the better equipped you will be to spot and protect yourself from them. Since this is a rapidly changing phenomenon, keeping up with the latest developments can help you stay on top of things. You don’t need to become an expert, but you should keep up with the news about deepfakes as this will help you identify suspicious content as this technology continues to evolve.
• Invest in deepfake protection. This includes security testing, monitoring and deepfake detection powered by key technologies to stay ahead of growing deepfake threats that could affect customer contact centers, business video conferencing and other critical communication points.

The increasing use of deepfake technology by cybercriminals to orchestrate highly targeted attacks shows the sophisticated measures they are willing to take to trick their victims. To mitigate these risks, organizations need to adopt robust solutions to detect and protect against deep counterfeiting. The financial burden associated with rebuilding an organization’s reputation and regaining user trust after a successful deepfake attack significantly exceeds the cost of implementing robust cybersecurity protocols ahead of time.

Ultimately, deepfake technology is a rapidly growing threat that both businesses and the public need to take seriously and prepare for. This requires a change in mindset when it comes to how we think about the content we consume online and how we communicate digitally.