A low-tech solution from the past may be your best defense against AI deepfakes

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ZDNET's key takeaways

Deepfakes and AI clones get more sophisticated and harder to detect.

Advanced attacks involve long-term infiltration of a company's systems.

Experts recommend low-tech security protocols that offer better defenses.

In January 2024, an employee at professional services firm Arup joined a video call with someone they believed included the company's CFO. This call resulted in 15 wire transfers to third-party accounts totaling about $25m.

Every participant on the other side of the video call was an AI-generated clone cobbled together from public appearances and earnings calls of Arup executives.

Also: 6 essential strategies to defend against AI-powered threat actors

"Seeing and hearing someone is no longer proof they are real," said Deepak Gupta, technical CEO at GrackerAI, when discussing the Arup incident with ZDNET. "Any protocol that relies on 'I recognized their face and voice' is now broken."

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