Is Your Organisation Ready to Counter Deepfakes?
Deepfakes - also known as sophisticated AI-generated media - are quickly becoming a serious threat. Beyond viral videos, they are now also quite potent weapons for fraud and misinformation. It's no longer a question of if deepfakes will impact your business, but if you'll be prepared.
Understanding Deepfakes
Deepfakes replace a person's likeness or voice using AI. Here are the potential consequences:
- Financial Fraud: A deepfake of your CEO authorizing an unverified wire transfer.
- Reputational Damage: Fabricated videos of key employees causing scandals.
- Misinformation: Spreading false information to manipulate markets or public opinion.
- Insider Threats: Using a deepfake to gain unauthorised system access.
- BEC 2.0: Voice deepfakes for urgent, unverified requests.
Why Your Organisation Should Care
Deepfake technology is advancing rapidly, and with the constant evolution of AI and its image/video generation, it’s getting harder and harder to detect. It’s often not obvious to the naked eye, and even traditional security can fall short. A successful attack can lead to disastrous outcomes such as significant financial losses, legal issues and any operational disruptions.
How To Defend Your Organisation
Cultivate employee awareness and provide necessary training.
The logical first step is to educate your workforce on what deepfakes are and how to spot red flags (e.g., unnatural blinking, odd voice inflections). All unusual requests should be verified through secure channels.
Leverage advanced security technologies.
Explore cybersecurity tools that analyse metadata and subtle media anomalies. Find what integrates best with your existing security.
Strengthen your incident response plan.
Update crisis plans to address deepfake scenarios. Include protocols for rapid verification, communication strategies for reputational damage, and legal/forensic procedures.
Fortifying Teams Against Deepfakes
Most organisations that are within the Microsoft ecosystem use Teams as their primary messaging platform. There are essential Teams settings you can actually configure to improve deepfake detection and prevent fraud.
For example, Teams Premium adds a critical layer of security by requiring external participants to verify their identity via email code before joining meetings.
CAPTCHA is also available in Teams! For anonymous or unverified users, standard Teams functionality enables CAPTCHA (text/audio challenges) to filter out bots.
Ensure all external individuals must enter the meeting lobby. That way organisers can vet participants before admitting them.
Finally, block access from personal and trial accounts, which typically have weaker security and are often exploited.
Don't Wait for the Wave to Hit
Concerned about your organization's deepfake readiness? Contact us for a comprehensive security assessment and we’ll help you strengthen your defences.
