LOOKING AHEAD

RAJ SAMANI, CHIEF SCIENTIST AND MCAFEE FELLOW, SHARES THE FINDINGS OF THE MCAFEE LABS’ 2020 THREATS PREDICTIONS REPORT.

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With 2019’s headlines of ransomware, malware, and RDP attacks almost behind us, we shift our focus to the cybercrime threats ahead. Cybercriminals are increasing the complexity and volume of their attacks and campaigns, always looking for ways to stay one step ahead of cybersecurity practices – and more often using the world’s evolving technology against us.

The threatscape of 2020 and beyond promises to be interesting for the cybersecurity community.

Broader Deepfakes Capabilities for Less-skilled Threat Actors

Deepfake video or text can be weaponised to enhance information warfare. Freely available video of public comments can be used to train a machine-learning model that can develop of deepfake video depicting one person’s words coming out of another’s mouth. Attackers can now create automated, targeted content to increase the probability that an individual or groups fall for a campaign. In this way, AI and machine learning can be combined to create massive chaos.

In general, adversaries are going to use the best technology to accomplish their goals, so if we think about nation-state actors attempting to manipulate an election, using deepfake video to manipulate an audience makes a lot of sense. Adversaries will try to create wedges and divides in society. Or if a cybercriminal can have a CEO make what appears to be a compelling statement that a company missed earnings or that there’s a fatal flaw in a product that’s going to require a massive recall. Such a video can be distributed to manipulate a stock price or enable other financial crimes

We predict the ability of an untrained class to create deepfakes will enhance an increase in quantity of misinformation.

Adversaries to Generate Deepfakes to Bypass Facial Recognition