Firms use AI to keep reality from unreeling amid ‘global deepfake pandemic’

Deepfake-driven identity fraud costs businesses money, which is why so many firms are lining up to plug detection gaps with AI-assisted deepfake detection software. The increasing sophistication of deepfakes means detection tools need to be constantly evolving, as the rate of fake audio and video injection attacks rises. Armed with numbers illustrating the severity of the threat, Reality Detector, Nametag and Regula claim they have the juice to stop it.

Reality Defender launches real-time video deepfake tool

Among firms in the business of deepfake detection, few have a name as descriptive of its mission as New York’s Reality Defender.

A release says the AI-generated media detection platform is adding real-time video deepfake detection to its offerings, to provide protection against identity theft, CEO deepfake fraud and other evolving cyber threats. The product allows clients to use deepfake detection plugins embedded in the Zoom conferencing app to verify that no one on the call is an AI deepfake with a fraudster at the controls.

“Real-time video deepfake detection could not have arrived at a more crucial time,” says Ben Colman, the company’s CEO. “As more high-profile incidents of fraud involving video conferencing occur around the world, teams need to know that they are indeed talking to real people. Our technology truly enables that to happen effortlessly and instantly.”

The release notes a recent instance in which a bad actor posing as a former Ukrainian minister connected with a U.S. Senator in a suspected attempt at election interference. Furthermore, no one wants to lose $25 million taking orders from a deepfake boss, as happened in the notorious Arup case in Hong Kong. Tools to create deepfakes are getting better and moving with more frequency through the digital underworld. Reality Defender, it says, could be our only hope.

A recent profile of the company in Wired backs up the claim by pointing out that, with social media profiles, much more data is freely available to those who want to use it for malicious purposes. In tandem, deepfake technology is improving its ability to generate deepfakes with minimal data. “Real-time deepfakes,” notes the piece, “are no longer limited to billionaires, public figures, or those who have extensive online presences.”

“The technology in this space continues to evolve rapidly, and any telltale signs you rely on now to spot AI deepfakes may not be as dependable with the next upgrades to underlying models.”

Reality Defender’s real-time video deepfake detection tool is available in private beta for select clients. A public waitlist is at realitydefender.com/rtv.

Nametag also active in deepfake detection and defense efforts

Seattle-based Nametag has announced the launch of its Nametag Deepfake Defense product. A release quotes security technologist and cryptography expert Bruce Schneier, who says “Nametag’s Deepfake Defense engine is the first scalable solution for remote identity verification that’s capable of blocking the AI deepfake attacks plaguing enterprises.”

And make no mistake, says Nametag CEO Aaron Painter: “we’re facing a global deepfake pandemic that’s spreading ransomware and disinformation.” The company cites numbers from Deloitte showing that over 50 percent of C-suite executives expect an increase in the number and size of deepfake attacks over the next 12 months.

Deepfake Defense consists of three core proprietary technologies: Cryptographic Attestation, Adaptive Document Verification and Spatial Selfie. The first “blocks digital injection attacks and ensures data integrity using hardware-backed keystore assurance and secure enclave technology from Apple and Google.” The second “prevents ID presentation attacks using proprietary AI models and device telemetry that detect even the most sophisticated digital manipulation or forgery.” And the third, Spatial Selfie, “confirms human likeness, liveness and presence by mapping a user’s 3D selfie to their 2-dimensional ID photo, preventing the use of artificial or spoofed selfies.”

The company shared the launch news at Okta’s Oktane conference, where it also announced membership in the Okta Elevate Partner Program.

‘Traditional methods are no longer enough’ to fight deepfakes, says Regula

The general deepfake fever is in keeping with Regula’s recent commissioned study of deepfake trends. A release says the Latvian firm’s survey data shows a significant rise in the prevalence of video deepfakes, with “a 20 percent increase in companies reporting incidents compared to 2022.”

“While 29 percent of fraud decision-makers across Australia, France, Germany, Mexico, Turkey, UAE, UK, and the USA reported encountering video deepfake fraud in 2022, this year’s data – covering the USA, UAE, Mexico, Singapore and Germany – shows this figure has surged to 49 percent.”

With nearly half of global businesses hit by deepfake video and audio scams, Regula says, “AI-generated identity fraud has become an everyday reality. The surge in deepfake incidents over the two-year period of our survey leaves businesses no choice but to adapt and rethink their current verification practices. Deepfakes are becoming increasingly sophisticated, and traditional methods are no longer enough.”

Signicat hones in on AI-driven fraud in financial, payments sectors

Digital identity and verification firm Signicat shines a light on the impact of AI-driven identity fraud in a recent report. According to “Battle Against AI-Driven Identity Fraud,” AI-driven fraud now constitutes 42.5 percent of all detected fraud attempts in the financial and payments sector, An estimated 29 percent of those attempts are considered successful.

Article Topics

biometric liveness detection  |  biometrics  |  deepfake detection  |  deepfakes  |  fraud prevention  |  generative AI  |  NameTag  |  Reality Defender  |  Regula  |  Signicat