Cybersecurity Glossary
Deepfake
A synthetic video, image or audio clip that convincingly imitates a real person.
What Deepfake means
A deepfake uses machine learning to copy someone's face or voice from material that is already public, a conference talk, a podcast, a company video. The result is good enough to pass a quick glance or a short phone call. Attackers use it to add pressure to a request that a written message alone would not carry, most often a payment or a credential reset.
Why Deepfake matters for small businesses and nonprofits
Small organisations are attractive targets because the approval chain is short and everybody knows the chief executive's voice. A thirty second call that sounds like the founder asking for an urgent transfer bypasses every technical control you own, because nothing technical was attacked.
What to do about Deepfake
- Agree one out of band way to confirm any unusual payment or access request, and use it every single time
- Tell the team explicitly that no genuine request will ever be urgent enough to skip that check
- Keep the number of people who can move money small, and require two of them
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A synthetic video, image or audio clip that convincingly imitates a real person.