Protecting Your Los Angeles Business from Voice Phishing and Deepfakes

Do you think you could trust your ears to spot a fake voice? With the recent advancements in artificial intelligence, the line between reality and deception is becoming increasingly blurred. Businesses in Los Angeles are finding out that voice phishing and deepfakes are posing a huge risk to their data security and business integrity.

As the founder and Chief Technologist at STG Infotech, a managed IT service provider in Los Angeles, this is a concerning threat. This post is created to help you understand how the (malicious) trend of voice phishing and deepfake technology could impact your business.

LastPass Voice Phishing Incident

If you haven't heard already, LastPass, a popular Password Manager, fell victim to a voice phishing attempt.

An employee of LastPass was deceived by an audio deepfake of the company's CEO, Karim Toubba, and almost believed it. Despite the employee's vigilance in spotting the fake, the incident sheds light on how sophistication of AI-driven social engineering attacks.

The Proliferation of Deepfakes

With the rapid production of AI tools, the act of creating convincing deepfake audio has become disturbingly easy for cybercriminals. These malicious actors will take any snippets of publicly available voice samples to create deceptive messages.

They use these messages to exploit vulnerabilities in communication channels to prey on unsuspecting targets.

Imagine just starting out at a bigger company, not having frequent communication with higher ups, and getting a voicemail to please provide information or services. You either want to impress or simply not disappoint this person, and provide the asked for details. And boom - the cybercriminal has infiltrated before you've come to your senses about it.

Looming Threat to Businesses

Voice phishing is turning out to be a massive threat to businesses of all sizes. The main target being IT desks and financial departments. By impersonating employees or executives through deepfake audio, hacker are able to exploit trust and urgency to coerce employees into compromising actions, such as granting permissions or issuing payments.

"Verify your email login for me.","Please buy this client a visa gift card." These actors will use any tactic to trick their targets.

The Role of AI in Cybercrime

The incorporation of AI in cybercrime represents a paradigm shift in malicious actor capabilities. AI is giving attackers the confidence to orchestrate more sophisticated and convincing scams. The ability to generate deepfake audio, imagery, and video at scale raises concerns about the manipulation of public perception and organizational security.

Human Detection

AI tools are rapidly evolving and widening the gap between these deepfakes and human ability to detect them.

Studies show that people are only able to identify audio deepfakes with around 73% accuracy. Which in the grand scheme of things, is a sign the urgent need for enhanced cybersecurity measures and employee training programs.

Mitigating the Risk

If you want to protect yourself and your business from these voice phishing attacks, here are some important steps you can take. First is updating all cybersecurity practices and plans. You should also be prioritizing training protocols that combat this evolving threat. By adhering to best practices and staying cautious, your business can fortify its defenses directly against Voice Phishing and deepfake attacks.

As businesses in Los Angeles confront the growing concern of voice phishing and deepfakes, vigilance is your best friend. By partnering with STG Infotech, you gain access to comprehensive managed IT services and proactive cybersecurity solutions, ensuring your organization remains resilient in the face of evolving threats.

Together, let's safeguard your business from cyber threats. Contact us today to learn how STG Infotech can be your trusted partner in navigating the complex landscape of IT security. Visit stginfotech.com/contact-us/ to learn more.