Public urged to create passwords with friends and family to avoid AI deepfake scams
The public should create passwords with their family and friends to help identify whether they are interacting with them or an AI-generated deepfake, a cybersecurity expert has said.
Cody Barrow, a former US government adviser, said artificial intelligence has made impersonation scams easier to create.
He added that AI was helping to 'lower the barrier to entry' for cyber criminals, and extra precautions beyond basic online security were needed to combat it. The public should create passwords with their family and friends to help identify whether they are interacting with them or an AI-generated deepfake, a cybersecurity expert has said. Pic: Getty Images
Deepfake technology is used to alter a person's appearance to pretend to be someone else.
Mr Barrow, boss of cyber security firm EclecticIQ, added: 'AI is huge. It's not just hype. It's very easy to dismiss it as such, but it's really not.
'My wife and I were actually just discussing this – we have a secret code that we use that only the real me or the real her would know, so that if one of us ever receives a FaceTime video or WhatsApp video that looks and sounds like us, asking for money, asking for help… we can use that code to verify that we're the right person.' Deepfake technology is used to alter a person's appearance to pretend to be someone else. Pic: Shutterstock
Mr Barrow said his approach was necessary because the recent rise of data breaches means many internet users will have had their details compromised at one point.
He added that creating passwords with loved ones was especially important for people who are less computer-literate.
The warning follows a string of cyber attacks on retailers, including Marks & Spencer.
Mr Barrow said predictable security setups may have helped the hackers create a realistic scam to gain access to M&S's systems.
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