Beware, it's the season of deception and deepfakes

With elections in India, Europe and the US, and the Paris Olympics, cybersecurity experts warn that 2024 will bea year of deception’

- Nitin Sreedhar

Artificial intelligence (AI) is a double-edged sword. On one hand, it is powering useful tools and apps on our smartphones and computers, making many daily tasks easier; on the other, it is being leveraged by scammers and cybercriminals to con individual users and organisations.

Earlier this week, Meta launched a dedicated fact-checking helpline on WhatsApp with the Misinformation Combat Alliance (MCA), a Delhi-based body, to combat Al-generated misinformation in India, where the general election is due later this year. A Meta statement said the initiative would allow MCA and its associated network of independent fact-checkers and research organisations to address viral misinformation. Users will be able to flag deepfakes by sending it to a WhatsApp chatbot, which will offer support in English, Hindi, Tamil, and Telugu.

Reports from both IBM and McAfee have highlighted that 2024 is going to be a "busy year" for cybercriminals with elections in India, the US and Europe.

THREATS POWERED BY AI

Earlier this month, Microsoft and OpenAI published research on emerging threats in the age of AI. Over the last year, "the speed, scale and sophistication of attacks has increased alongside the rapid development and adoption of AI. Defenders are only beginning to recognize and apply the power of generative AI to shift the cybersecurity balance in their favor and keep ahead of adversaries," it noted.

Voice-cloning, deepfakes (artificial media), new types of malware and malicious websites are just the tip of the iceberg. "AI is constantly learning, which means it can analyse vast amounts of data, far more than human cybersecurity professionals, making it the perfect tool for cybercriminals," says Pratim Mukherjee, senior director of engineering, McAfee.