With deepfake technology getting more and more sophisticated, it is becoming increasingly difficult to distinguish between the genuine and the fabricated.

The term deepfakes was born from the combination of ‘deep learning’ and ‘fake’, and refers to AI-based technologies used to create or alter images, audio, and video resulting in fake content that appears to be the genuine article.

These can range from replacing the likeness of one person with another in video and other digital media, to replicating a voice over the phone to resemble the executive in charge of finance asking for funds to be transferred.

Ultimately, deepfake technology can be used to create fake news, and misleading videos, and with the technology becoming so advanced, deepfakes can defy all but the closest scrutiny.

Beyond the technology getting better and better, the risk of deepfakes is exacerbated by the global shift to remote working that happened almost overnight during the pandemic, as the use of video conferencing and other digital workplace tools skyrocketed, resulting in not only greater access to deepfake materials, but more opportunities to deceive people.

One example would be social engineering, or using deepfakes to manipulate people into sharing confidential information, or making money transfers that are a scam. It can also be used to discredit or blackmail individuals, and to sway public opinion by showing influential individuals sharing fake news about an organisation or person.

So what can SA organisations do to protect themselves from this scourge? Jason Jordaan, Principal Forensic Analyst at DFIR Labs, will be presenting on “Examining the use of deepfakes and the potential risks they pose”, at the ITWeb Securitiy Summit 2021, to be held as a virtual event from 1 to 3 June.

Jordaan’s forensic career began in 1991. He is considered a leading authority in the field of digital forensics and cyber crime investigation and prevention by his peers, both in SA and abroad. Before joining DFIR Labs, he was the national head of the Cyber Forensic Laboratory of the Special Investigating Unit, SA’s national public sector anti-corruption agency.

During his presentation, Jordaan will discuss what deepfakes are and how are they created, and will examine recent examples. He will also unpack whether or not the use of deepfakes has increased over the last 12 months and why, and if it is possible to detect and prevent deepfakes using technology.

Finally, he will talk about the extent to which deepfakes pose a threat to business and society as a whole.