We live in a time where the line between reality and illusion is becoming increasingly blurred. Artificial intelligence has given us the ability to create very convincing and sophisticated fake images, audio and video. This fake content, known as deepfakes, can be used to create funny and entertaining images, but it can also be used to deceive, manipulate, and extort us. We are facing a crisis of truth, as it becomes more difficult by the day to discern the authenticity of the media that proliferates on our screens.
Understanding and mitigating this threat is essential to protecting yourself, your business and your customers.
AI as a weapon
These deepfakes are being used as weapons against us. Bad actors create fake content to impersonate employees, managers, and customers to exploit our weaknesses, manipulate, and defraud us. The realistic appearance of these attacks makes it difficult to distinguish their authenticity and the resulting success is very lucrative for the attackers. This threat is particularly significant for law firms due to the confidential and private nature of their business.
Imagine discussing confidential matters with a customer on a video call only to later discover that the person on the other end of the line was an imposter. Or imagine it’s a call from someone posing as a senior associate asking you to transfer funds. Instead, you just transferred money to a bad actor.
Now imagine the impact such an incident would have on your business and its reputation, as well as the legal problems that would result. Not only does the company have to recover from the incident, but it also has to deal with the cultural impact. Too often, the employee will be blamed for falling victim to the fraud, and the company will provide coaching, counseling, policy changes, and even disciplinary action if the situation is not handled properly.
As if the threat of deepfakes wasn’t enough, artificial intelligence is being used in other ways against us. The rise of AI has enabled malicious users to become more effective with traditional cyberattacks such as phishing and ransomware. AI can use predictive models to estimate human behavior, identify the types of attacks and content most likely to produce results, and create the content for those attacks automatically using the wealth of data available on the Internet as a source. Thanks to AI, these attacks can more easily target specific people and groups, and the frequency of attacks is increasing at an exponential rate.
How can we protect ourselves from these threats? Fortunately, there are many resources available to help identify and thwart these attacks. Let’s start with how to identify deepfakes.
Identify Deepfakes
Being able to spot deepfakes is a major step in the fight against their malicious use. Understanding which media is authentic and which is not can be a challenge. Here are some tips:
- Inform yourself and your business: By first educating yourself and your business about what deepfakes are and how to spot them, you increase your awareness and your ability to mitigate the threat. There are many educational resources such as KnowBe4, Hook Security, and the “Detect Fakes” program from MIT Media Labs.
- Be wary: Develop a healthy suspicion of the media you see and question the source of the content you encounter. We can no longer take everything at face value and must use due diligence to verify content.
- Pay attention to details: Particularly relevant for images and videos, look for inconsistencies that don’t make sense or don’t match, like too many fingers, arms and elbows bent in odd ways, teeth that don’t look right, and a feeling generally that something is “too perfect”. » AI doesn’t do well with details, especially in the background of images and videos, and you can often find inconsistencies that are deadly clues for deepfakes.
- Question reality: Look at the image or video and ask yourself how real an image looks. If the topic or content seems far-fetched, that should be a warning sign to dig a little deeper to determine authenticity. If it’s a voice call or meeting, ask questions that only the real person on the other end of the line knows.
- Use AI detection tools: There are many AI-based detection tools available to scan media for signs of manipulation or markers that the content was created by AI. These tools look for inconsistencies that may indicate the presence of deepfakes and help you confirm authenticity.
Mitigate the threat
Now that you have the knowledge and ability to identify a deepfake and know when you are being manipulated, what’s the next step? Here’s what to do:
- Complete the interaction: Disengage physically or digitally from the situation and end the interaction.
- Check via official channels: Also known as out-of-band communication, use a known and trusted alternative communication method to verify legitimacy. For example, if your manager asks you to do something in an email, pick up the phone and confirm it verbally. Or if you’re on a video call, send a separate text message to confirm.
- Document and report: Inform the appropriate people in your organization about the potential attack, as this can help others identify and mitigate the same or similar attacks.
- Invest in technology: Stay ahead of the curve by investing in the latest cybersecurity technologies. AI detection tools, secure communications platforms, and advanced authentication methods can provide an additional layer of protection.
- Collaborate with experts: Collaborate with cybersecurity experts to develop and implement strategies to identify and mitigate deepfake threats. These experts can provide valuable insights and support for navigating the complex landscape of AI-generated content.
- Develop a policy: Establish clear guidelines and frameworks regarding media use and dissemination, how to respond to threats, who to report suspicious activities to, and what those individuals should do in the face of potential threats.
- Foster a conscious culture: Encourage a culture where content is regularly questioned and verified, and support employees in the event of an incident.
- Stay informed: Stay up to date with the latest developments in AI and cybersecurity. Regularly review industry reports, attend conferences, and participate in professional networks to stay informed about emerging threats and best practices.
Conclusion
The rise of AI-generated deepfakes poses a significant challenge and threat to law firms. By understanding the nature of this threat and implementing effective identification and mitigation strategies, legal administrators and attorneys can protect their businesses and clients from the potentially devastating impacts of deepfake content. As technology continues to evolve, remaining vigilant and proactive is essential to maintaining the integrity and security of legal practices.
Eric Hoffmaster is the Chief Operating Officer of Innovative Computing Systems.
