How are AI deepfakes becoming a cyber security threat?

4th March 2025

Can you trust what you see on screen?

I’m sure you have witnessed in the last month the continuing meltdown of the man formerly known as Kayne West: don’t worry, we’re not interested in the controversies here.

Instead, I wanted to talk about a video on social media that was reported on by the BBC of celebrities condemning Kayne, only for it to be confirmed that this was a deepfake created using AI.

A deepfake is a when AI is used to create realistic looking images, videos and recordings. We’ve seen them used in films when an actor is unavailable or has passed away – AI can recreate them to various levels of success, but as the technology evolves, they are becoming more accurate.

So, why is this relevant to you? Well, there are two reasons:

1.      These deepfakes can be used to scam anyone, even you

2.      Anyone could be victim to a deepfake, it could happen to anyone, even you

Bad actors create deepfakes of important and influential figures to trick people into sending them money or personal information. It is a form of phishing that uses these ‘realistic’ videos, voice calls or messages to convince people that they are legitimate.

In the same way these deepfakes are created of famous celebrities, cyber criminals could make one of you. They could stage you doing or saying something incriminating to use it to blackmail you, threatening to damage your reputation if you don’t pay up.

To avoid being tricked by or becoming the victim of a deepfake, we suggest you:

·         Be careful about what you share and post, particularly personal information.

·         Enable strong privacy settings to restrict who can access your profiles.

·         Use multi-factor authentication to ensure your online accounts are secure.

·         Verify the source of a video or message.

·         Stay informed on the latest developments in deepfake and AI technology.

For more information on AI deepfakes, contact us HERE.