A bird's-eye view of a computerized city that resembles a motherboard.

The cyberthreat landscape is constantly changing with new threats arising and old threats resurging.

A computerized polygon face is superimposed over the computerized city.

Here’s a current threat you should be aware of before proceeding.

A side-by-side deepfake video of actor Ron Livingston driving a vehicle.

Deepfakes are faked media, that are created with the help of machine learning to convincingly impersonate someone, often a celebrity or politician.

Source: VFX Chris UME YouTube Channel

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Deepfake

A deepfake computer program uses the likeness of actor Robert Downey Jr to create a deepfake video.

Perpetrators take publically available sound clips, photos, and videos of people and superimpose these onto existing media.

Source: DeepFakery YouTube Channel

A side-by-side deepfake video of politician and diplomat Hilary Clinton speaking at a podium.

These doctored clips are typically used for entertainment purposes, but they can be used for more sinister means,

Source: Derpfakes YouTube Channel

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Deepfake

A person is sitting on a sofa looking at their smartphone.

such as defrauding victims, assisting in social engineering efforts,generating fake news, and spreading false information.

Closeup of a cybercriminal’s hand typing on a laptop keyboard.

Recently, social engineers targeted the CEO of an energy firm in the UK and duped him into believing that he was talking to the chief executive of its parent company, right down to the imposter’s German accent. This was a deepfaked audio that tricked the CEO into wiring 220,000 Euros to awaiting cybercriminals.

Deepfake computerized facial mapping is displayed over a person’s face.

Technology firms are working to combat these attacks, however, we are still very susceptible to this type of manipulation. And by the very nature of machine learning, over time, deepfakes will only get better and even more convincing.

A side-by-side deepfake video of President Barack Obama and filmmaker Jordan Peele.

Your main defense against these threats is to be skeptical of sensational or suspicious media even if the imagery or voiceover appears to be genuine.

Source: BuzzFeed YouTube Channel

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A deepfake video of actor Ryan Reynolds's face replacing actor Gene Wilder's face as Willy Wonka.

Even though the technology can be very convincing, you may be able to still see flaws in its application, such as eyes not blinking or unnatural facial movements, differences in skin tones and lighting, and other anomalies.

Source: NextFace YouTube Channel

A person looks concerned as they read information displayed on their laptop.

If you are suspicious of a video, see if you can locate the original media it was generated from online.

A split screen of a person unknowingly speaking to a cybercriminal on their smartphone.

If you receive a suspicious call, even if it sounds like the real person, double-check where the call is originating from or the number being used for anything unusual.

A person is seated on a couch using their smartphone with a look of concern.

The best way to avoid being exploited is to verify the authenticity of any requests for sensitive information or funds, such as another phone call to the person through a number you know is legitimate.

A person is seated while reading important information displayed on their laptop screen.

Be on the lookout for deepfakes as it is expected for this technology to become much more sophisticated and prominent in the threat landscape.