Deepfakes are evolving

Trend Micro Incorporated, a global leader in cybersecurity, has published a new report revealing that cybercrime incidents using deepfakes have increased significantly. As generative AI-based tools become more powerful, accessible and easy to use, cybercriminals are rapidly adopting them to support sophisticated attacks, from business fraud to extortion and identity theft.

To read the full report , Deepfake it 'til You Make It: A Comprehensive View of the New AI Criminal Toolset , visit :

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https://www.trendmicro.com/vinfo/hk/security/news/cybercrime-and-digital-threats/deepfake-it-til-you-make-it-a-comprehensive-view-of-the-new-ai-criminal-toolset

The report shows that the use of deepfakes has gone beyond the stage of fake advertising and has evolved into a real risk and is now being used in practice, undermining digital trust, exposing businesses to new risks and accelerating cybercriminals' business models.

Tony Lee , Head of Consulting, Hong Kong & Macau at Trend Micro, said: “AI-generated media is not a future risk, but a real business threat . We are seeing digital figures impersonating executives, recruitment processes being compromised and financial safeguards being bypassed with alarming ease. The research is a wake-up call for businesses that are not actively preparing for the era of deepfakes. In a world where everything you see is not real, digital trust must be built from the ground up.”

The research revealed that threat actors no longer need specialized knowledge to carry out convincing attacks. Instead, they are using off-the-shelf video, audio, and image generation platforms, many of which are aimed at content creators, to create realistic deepfakes that fool individuals and organizations. These tools are cheap and easy to use, and are increasingly capable of bypassing identity verification systems and security mechanisms.

The report describes a growing cybercrime ecosystem, where these platforms are used to carry out scams, such as:

• CEO fraud which is becoming increasingly difficult to detect, as attackers use deepfake audio or video to impersonate senior executives in real time, in online meetings.
• Recruitment procedures being compromised by fictitious candidates, who use AI to pass interviews and gain unauthorized access to internal systems.
• Financial firms see increase in attempts to use deepfakes to circumvent regulations KYC protocols (Know Your Customer), allowing anonymous money laundering through fake credentials.

Cybercriminals are actively marketing tutorials, toolkits, and services to simplify these illegal activities. There are now all kinds of illegal tools, from step-by-step manuals to bypass integration processes to plug-and-play face-swapping tools. So the barrier to entry is now minimal.

As deepfakes-based frauds increase in frequency and complexity, businesses are urged to take proactive measures to reduce their exposure to risk and protect their people and processes. These measures should include: training staff on the risks of social engineering, reviewing identification processes, and exploring synthetic media detection solutions.

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