Deepfakes Pose Growing Threat to Digital Identity Verification
The rise of advanced face swap apps and generative AI is aiding fraudsters in creating convincing deepfakes, posing a significant threat to digital identity verification. Entrust, a leading security company, reports alarming trends in deepfake usage by cybercriminals.
Deepfakes are increasingly employed to bypass digital identity checks, with fraudsters using 'injection attacks' to manipulate video or photo feeds during KYC processes. According to Entrust, deepfakes accounted for 24% of fraudulent attempts to pass motion-based biometrics checks in 2024. This marks a substantial increase from the 5% recorded in selfie-based authentication mechanisms.
Deepfakes are not only used to bypass security measures but also to create fake celebrity endorsement videos for investment scams and misinformation campaigns. Simon Horswell, senior fraud specialist at Entrust, warns that businesses must adapt their security strategies to counter these evolving threats. Entrust's 2025 Identity Fraud Report underscores the growing threat of deepfakes in identity fraud, with the company recording an average of one deepfake attack every five minutes in 2024.
The sophistication and accessibility of deepfake technology are empowering fraudsters to violate customer identification processes and take over accounts. Businesses are urged to strengthen their security measures and stay informed about emerging threats to protect their customers and themselves from deepfake attacks.
