The breakneck evolution of AI tools has enabled smarter and more targeted scams. Cybersecurity experts urge internet users to raise their guard. High-profile incidents like a “romance scam” in France and fake donation drives for Los Angeles fire victims show that everyone is a target for cyberattacks.
Phishing and pretexting accounted for more than 20 percent of almost 10,000 data breaches worldwide last year, according to Verizon’s Data Breach Investigations Report. AI chatbots save attackers time and allow for more elaborate fake messages. These tools can make phishing emails indistinguishable from those written by native speakers.
AI’s capability to use breached data to create highly personalized scams would have required an army of humans just a few years ago, noted Steve Grobman, Chief Technical Officer at McAfee. Attackers often aim to gain the trust of select individuals at target firms over extended periods. In February 2024, scammers swindled US$26 million from a multinational firm in Hong Kong by using AI-generated deepfakes in a videoconference impersonating the company’s CEO and other staff.
“The latest generation of deepfake videos has reached a point where almost no consumers can distinguish between an AI-generated image and a real one,” Grobman said.
Deepfake scams target internet users
Internet users need to start applying the same skepticism to video as they do to still images.
Simple checks against trusted sources can help verify purported news videos. In personal communications, confirming the identity of someone claiming to be an authority figure can involve using personal information only the real person would know, joked F5’s Lemaire. The online scam industry has become so lucrative that it resembles other businesses, complete with supply chains and an ecosystem of tools to support it.
These tools include ransomware, such as LockBit, which can encrypt data and threaten to release or delete it unless payment is made. AI tools even allow for face-swapping in videos, enabling a McAfee researcher to replace his face with that of Hollywood star Tom Cruise for as little as US$5. Despite these advancements, KnowBe4’s Kraemer is not overly worried that defense mechanisms will be overwhelmed by AI, as these tools can also be used for defense.
Nevertheless, the final line of defense remains human vigilance. “When we moved from walking and riding horses to driving automobiles, we needed to change the way we thought about transportation safety,” Grobman said. “That’s what consumers need today, a similar pivot in thinking regarding internet security.”
Noah Nguyen is a multi-talented developer who brings a unique perspective to his craft. Initially a creative writing professor, he turned to Dev work for the ability to work remotely. He now lives in Seattle, spending time hiking and drinking craft beer with his fiancee.
