AI researchers are calling on every business and organisation to develop a response plan to the growing threat of deep fake cyber attacks, as the perils are real, according to researchers from the Queensland University of Technology (QUT).
In a paper published this year entitled ‘Brace Yourself! Why managers should adopt a synthetic media incident response playbook in an age of falsity and synthetic media,’ academics from QUT’s Centre for Behavioural Economics, Society and Technology warn that increasingly sophisticated and accessible AI programs have ushered in a new era of synthetic media.
AI can not only collect image or video data of a person from various sources and put it into neural networks to mimic but also use deep neural networks to generate entirely new content.
This means counterfeit content of voices, images and videos that appear undeniably genuine can be easily created and manipulated by malicious actors to extract money, harm brand reputation, steal Intelligence Property (IP) and shake customer confidence.
“With such risks becoming more common, anyone whose reputation is of corporate value, including every CEO or board member that has been featured on earnings calls, YouTube videos, TED talks, and podcasts, must brace themselves for the risks of synthetic media impersonation,” the paper said.
Dan Halpin, the CEO and founder of Cybertrace, a private cyber-investigations firm, agrees that the world is now facing an alarming situation.
“Unfortunately, sophisticated deepfake scams targeting Australian businesses and organisations pose a growing threat,” he told the Epoch Times in an email.
He said industries that heavily rely on public figures, high-value transactions, or sensitive information are often at higher risk. These include financial institutes, politicians and governments, media and entertainment, law enforcement and security.
Deepfake Threats Real and Already Happening
The warning comes after the CEO of Australia’s largest bank, the Commonwealth Bank of Australia (CBA), was impersonated as part of a cyber scam scheme.
In a video posted on Meta’s Facebook platforms, an AI-generated deepfake of Matt Comyn encouraged consumers to reach out for a guaranteed income of “$5000 income per week.’’
“We launched an automatic platform for passive income. You invest in gold, banks, stocks, funds and other profitable instruments. The platform will automatically generate profits,” Comyn appears to say during a news programme mimicking the production of Nine new bulletins.
However, it was not too hard to see something was amiss. The Australian-born and educated CEO was speaking with an American accent, and the movement of his mouth doesn’t quite match his face.
CBA has alerted customers of the scam on its official website.
“The scammers misuse well-known news brands and the CommBank brand to try and legitimise their scam,” the bank warned.
“Scammers have even used fraudulent, AI-generated videos of [Mr] Comyn, and others, to try and convince people to invest.”
To manage the risks, the researchers recommend a six-phase synthetic media incident response playbook which includes preparation, assessment, detection, containment and eradication, post-incident and coordination procedures.
Halpin also reminded businesses that almost every business and organisation should be aware and alert to deepfake threats.
“As technology evolves and becomes more accessible, any sector that relies on trust, credibility, or sensitive information should remain vigilant and adopt preventive measures against deepfake threats,” he said.
“Vigilance, employee education, and robust cybersecurity measures are crucial in mitigating the risks and maintaining trust in the face of this evolving threat landscape.”
We are Wired to Believe Synthetic Media
Drawing on the theories of human behaviour, the researchers argue that individuals can only distinguish human and deepfake faces about 50 percent of the time and that consumers have little choice but to believe what they see, read, and hear online.
Due to the innate tendency to avoid cognitive overload, individuals are inclined to trust visuals—information-rich media by simplifying the evaluation process, as “ the richness of audiovisual material requires the allocation of more cognitive resources, which can lead to cognitive overload”.
“We evaluate the sources of richer audiovisual messages less systematically than leaner information presented via text, assigning more credibility to modalities such as video and audio than we do to text and images,” the paper said.
Coffee the Christian way: Promised Grounds
More worryingly, the researchers argue that deep fakes often cause people to stop trying to come to a genuine understanding of information, thereby eroding the credibility of other information sources.
“These new synthetic realities generate ‘reality apathy’ by causing people to give up trying to discern between what is authentic and synthetic, ceasing their efforts to become informed citizens and thereby potentially eroding the perceived credibility of fundamental civic media, politics, academia institutions—and organizations.”
Article cross-posted from our premium news partners at The Epoch Times.
Five Things New “Preppers” Forget When Getting Ready for Bad Times Ahead
The preparedness community is growing faster than it has in decades. Even during peak times such as Y2K, the economic downturn of 2008, and Covid, the vast majority of Americans made sure they had plenty of toilet paper but didn’t really stockpile anything else.
Things have changed. There’s a growing anxiety in this presidential election year that has prompted more Americans to get prepared for crazy events in the future. Some of it is being driven by fearmongers, but there are valid concerns with the economy, food supply, pharmaceuticals, the energy grid, and mass rioting that have pushed average Americans into “prepper” mode.
There are degrees of preparedness. One does not have to be a full-blown “doomsday prepper” living off-grid in a secure Montana bunker in order to be ahead of the curve. In many ways, preparedness isn’t about being able to perfectly handle every conceivable situation. It’s about being less dependent on government for as long as possible. Those who have proper “preps” will not be waiting for FEMA to distribute emergency supplies to the desperate masses.
Below are five things people new to preparedness (and sometimes even those with experience) often forget as they get ready. All five are common sense notions that do not rely on doomsday in order to be useful. It may be nice to own a tank during the apocalypse but there’s not much you can do with it until things get really crazy. The recommendations below can have places in the lives of average Americans whether doomsday comes or not.
Note: The information provided by this publication or any related communications is for informational purposes only and should not be considered as financial advice. We do not provide personalized investment, financial, or legal advice.
Secured Wealth
Whether in the bank or held in a retirement account, most Americans feel that their life’s savings is relatively secure. At least they did until the last couple of years when de-banking, geopolitical turmoil, and the threat of Central Bank Digital Currencies reared their ugly heads.
It behooves Americans to diversify their holdings. If there’s a triggering event or series of events that cripple the financial systems or devalue the U.S. Dollar, wealth can evaporate quickly. To hedge against potential turmoil, many Americans are looking in two directions: Crypto and physical precious metals.
There are huge advantages to cryptocurrencies, but there are also inherent risks because “virtual” money can become challenging to spend. Add in the push by central banks and governments to regulate or even replace cryptocurrencies with their own versions they control and the risks amplify. There’s nothing wrong with cryptocurrencies today but things can change rapidly.
As for physical precious metals, many Americans pay cash to keep plenty on hand in their safe. Rolling over or transferring retirement accounts into self-directed IRAs is also a popular option, but there are caveats. It can often take weeks or even months to get the gold and silver shipped if the owner chooses to close their account. This is why Genesis Gold Group stands out. Their relationship with the depositories allows for rapid closure and shipping, often in less than 10 days from the time the account holder makes their move. This can come in handy if things appear to be heading south.
Lots of Potable Water
One of the biggest shocks that hit new preppers is understanding how much potable water they need in order to survive. Experts claim one gallon of water per person per day is necessary. Even the most conservative estimates put it at over half-a-gallon. That means that for a family of four, they’ll need around 120 gallons of water to survive for a month if the taps turn off and the stores empty out.
Being near a fresh water source, whether it’s a river, lake, or well, is a best practice among experienced preppers. It’s necessary to have a water filter as well, even if the taps are still working. Many refuse to drink tap water even when there is no emergency. Berkey was our previous favorite but they’re under attack from regulators so the Alexapure systems are solid replacements.
For those in the city or away from fresh water sources, storage is the best option. This can be challenging because proper water storage containers take up a lot of room and are difficult to move if the need arises. For “bug in” situations, having a larger container that stores hundreds or even thousands of gallons is better than stacking 1-5 gallon containers. Unfortunately, they won’t be easily transportable and they can cost a lot to install.
Water is critical. If chaos erupts and water infrastructure is compromised, having a large backup supply can be lifesaving.
Pharmaceuticals and Medical Supplies
There are multiple threats specific to the medical supply chain. With Chinese and Indian imports accounting for over 90% of pharmaceutical ingredients in the United States, deteriorating relations could make it impossible to get the medicines and antibiotics many of us need.
Stocking up many prescription medications can be hard. Doctors generally do not like to prescribe large batches of drugs even if they are shelf-stable for extended periods of time. It is a best practice to ask your doctor if they can prescribe a larger amount. Today, some are sympathetic to concerns about pharmacies running out or becoming inaccessible. Tell them your concerns. It’s worth a shot. The worst they can do is say no.
If your doctor is unwilling to help you stock up on medicines, then Jase Medical is a good alternative. Through telehealth, they can prescribe daily meds or antibiotics that are shipped to your door. As proponents of medical freedom, they empathize with those who want to have enough medical supplies on hand in case things go wrong.
Energy Sources
The vast majority of Americans are locked into the grid. This has proven to be a massive liability when the grid goes down. Unfortunately, there are no inexpensive remedies.
Those living off-grid had to either spend a lot of money or effort (or both) to get their alternative energy sources like solar set up. For those who do not want to go so far, it’s still a best practice to have backup power sources. Diesel generators and portable solar panels are the two most popular, and while they’re not inexpensive they are not out of reach of most Americans who are concerned about being without power for extended periods of time.
Natural gas is another necessity for many, but that’s far more challenging to replace. Having alternatives for heating and cooking that can be powered if gas and electric grids go down is important. Have a backup for items that require power such as manual can openers. If you’re stuck eating canned foods for a while and all you have is an electric opener, you’ll have problems.
Don’t Forget the Protein
When most think about “prepping,” they think about their food supply. More Americans are turning to gardening and homesteading as ways to produce their own food. Others are working with local farmers and ranchers to purchase directly from the sources. This is a good idea whether doomsday comes or not, but it’s particularly important if the food supply chain is broken.
Most grocery stores have about one to two weeks worth of food, as do most American households. Grocers rely heavily on truckers to receive their ongoing shipments. In a crisis, the current process can fail. It behooves Americans for multiple reasons to localize their food purchases as much as possible.
Long-term storage is another popular option. Canned foods, MREs, and freeze dried meals are selling out quickly even as prices rise. But one component that is conspicuously absent in shelf-stable food is high-quality protein. Most survival food companies offer low quality “protein buckets” or cans of meat, but they are often barely edible.
Prepper All-Naturals offers premium cuts of steak that have been cooked sous vide and freeze dried to give them a 25-year shelf life. They offer Ribeye, NY Strip, and Tenderloin among others.
Having buckets of beans and rice is a good start, but keeping a solid supply of high-quality protein isn’t just healthier. It can help a family maintain normalcy through crises.
Prepare Without Fear
With all the challenges we face as Americans today, it can be emotionally draining. Citizens are scared and there’s nothing irrational about their concerns. Being prepared and making lifestyle changes to secure necessities can go a long way toward overcoming the fears that plague us. We should hope and pray for the best but prepare for the worst. And if the worst does come, then knowing we did what we could to be ready for it will help us face those challenges with confidence.
