Identity theft has been one of the most common online security threats for years. Everyone knows about the risk of having your identity stolen and used for malicious purposes (to pull money from your accounts or commit fraudulent crimes against people in your environment). However, did you know that cybercriminals have taken identity theft to a whole new level thanks to artificial intelligence? The emergence of deep fakes has shaken the cybersecurity world and opened the door to new threats you should be aware of.
What Is a Deepfake?
Deepfake is considered to be the most dangerous type of security threats associated with artificial intelligence. Most simply put, deep fakes are a type of synthetic media where a person’s voice, facial expressions, and physical appearance are placed on another person. That way, criminals can edit photos and videos so that a random person looks exactly like their target.
These deep fake figures are created to such a level of perfection that they can even mimic the movements and sounds of any specific person. The deep fake AI technology was invented by Ian Goodfellow, a Ph.D. student who created an advanced technique for building synthetic identities.
Although deep fakes can be used for a variety of fraudulent activities, they are most commonly used to bypass biometric security systems such as facial recognition or voice lock. In other words, if there is enough data available, hackers can create a fake persona that looks and sounds just like you so they can breach through systems and devices that are secured with your biometric information.
This issue has become a major concern because many important security systems rely on biometrics, which is no longer as secure as it used to be. Some of the most popular companies such as Apple and Amazon rely on biometric identity checks as their primary security measure. Apple even uses the facial ID to authenticate transactions via Apple ID.
This goes to show how much room deep fakes give hackers to exploit data and access new networks without legal authorization. The worst part is - more and more people can now access these AI tools for creating synthetic identities. That means even people with less knowledge and experience can find their way around altering content and sharing it in the media.
By grabbing facial images of one person and installing them on another person’s body like a digital mask, hackers can create content that looks perfectly natural and normal to the inexperienced eye. This technique can thus be used to manipulate the mass media, share rumors, fake videos, as well breach security networks through the manipulation of biometric systems.
While deep fakes could have a positive implication in some industries such as movie production and entertainment, they are a massive concern for the media in general. This technique can also be used on a smaller scale to impersonate people’s relatives and acquaintances to commit different kinds of fraud (from phishing to data theft).
Impersonation on Another Level
There is no doubt that facial recognition and voice-activated features are one of the best and most important recent advancements made in technology. These tools even make digital devices more accessible to people with disabilities, thus helping to keep all users equal.
However, there are serious security risks tied to biometric identification and the concept of using biometrics in general. Deep fakes and synthetic identities are on top of the list when it comes to biometric-related security concerns. Beware of altered images and videos in the media and make sure to keep your photos and information out of reach.
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