Defend Against Deepfake Cyberattacks

Supercharged by AI, deepfakes have rapidly become a critical security threat, exploiting human trust to bypass traditional security measures. Beyond raising the risk of financial losses and data theft, a successful deepfake attack can erode credibility, unsettle shareholders, and trigger regulatory consequences. This research will help CIOs and security leaders identify vulnerabilities, evaluate risks, and design a proactive, resilient deepfake defense program.

Because deepfakes target humans rather than systems, technical controls alone are not enough to stop them. CIOs and security leaders must identify specific deepfake threats, understand their potential impact, and embed a zero trust mindset into every interaction. Only then can your organization’s people, processes, and technology work together to reduce deepfakes from a looming threat to a manageable risk.

1. People are the best defense.

Trained employees are the strongest safeguard against deepfakes. When staff instinctively recognize red flags and feel empowered to question instructions, they can stop attacks before damage occurs.

2. Processes generate confidence.

Zero trust must extend beyond networks and systems to encompass all human communications – no voice, video, or message should be trusted without verification. Clear workflows such as secondary confirmations, code words, or out-of-band checks reduce human error and make verification a default behavior.

3. Technology supports vigilance.

AI deepfakes evolve too quickly for detection tools to be effective on their own. Organizations should instead use them to amplify human vigilance by flagging anomalies and supporting verification steps.

Use this step-by-step framework to build a holistic deepfake defense rooted in zero trust

Info-Tech’s practical research offers an actionable framework and comprehensive threat assessment tool to help you design a deepfake defense strategy that strengthens resilience and preserves trust in digital communication. Use this step-by-step approach to:

• Identify deepfake threat scenarios by understanding and preparing for specific threats to create precise and targeted defenses.
• Assess your organization’s risk factors through a structured risk analysis to determine your level of preparedness for specific risk scenarios.
• Prioritize relevant deepfake scenarios by their potential organizational impact, weighting them according to historical relevance and threat complexity.