In plain words
Imagine someone making a fake video of you that looks so real it fools your friends and family. This is kind of like what deepfakes¹ are - fake audio or video that can be made to look and sound like it is real. It is like someone creating a fake ID card² that looks just like yours but with their picture on it.
How it actually works
Deepfakes are being used by hackers to trick people into doing things they should not do. For example they might make a fake audio call that sounds like it is from the boss asking someone to send money or give away secret information. This is called social engineering³ and it is a big problem for companies because it can be very convincing.
What it means for defenders
Defenders need to be careful and make sure their employees are aware of the problem. They can do things like check the identity of the person on the other end of the call and make sure any requests for money or information are legitimate. This can be hard because deepfakes can be very realistic.
Terms
- ¹ deepfakes
- , Deepfakes are fake audio or video that can be made to look and sound like it is real.
- ² ID card
- , An ID card is a card that proves who you are.
- ³ social engineering
- , Social engineering is when someone tries to trick you into doing something you should not do by pretending to be someone else or something else.