Deepfakes!

Flexx

Hi @Razvan C, this is @Flexx

The link provided below on the Bitdefender blog only offers basic information related to deepfakes.

https://www.bitdefender.com/blog/hotforsecurity/deepfakes-what-they-are-how-they-work-and-how-to-protect-against-malicious-usage-in-the-digital-age/

Bitdefender's Stance on Deepfakes

While Bitdefender excels at detecting malware and phishing links, deepfakes present a unique challenge. Currently, Bitdefender's primary focus remains on malware detection; however, there are opportunities to explore ways to address deepfakes.

Potential Strategies

• Partnerships and Collaborations: Bitdefender may consider collaborating with industry leaders like Google, Intel, and Meta, who possess extensive expertise in AI and deep learning. This partnership could facilitate the creation of advanced deepfake detection capabilities. Notably, these companies have already made significant strides in deepfake detection, as evident from their online blogs, and have likely developed effective tools to combat this emerging threat.
• Bitdefender Scamio Upload Feature Expansion: Enhance the Scamio upload feature to include support for image, video, and audio analysis, enabling users to proactively check for deepfakes. While checking for deepfakes in video and audio may be challenging for Scamio, it could be feasible to some extent for deepfake images if introduced. I believe Scamio's AI technology can assist with this.

Future Possibilities

• Bitdefender-Intel Partnership: A collaboration with Intel could allow Bitdefender to utilize their advanced deepfake detection technologies.
• Google's Deepfake Detection Tools: Integration of Google's deepfake detection tools directly into Bitdefender's software could provide users with an additional layer of protection.
• Meta's AI-Powered Solutions: Leveraging Meta's extensive AI expertise could help Bitdefender develop cutting-edge deepfake detection capabilities.

What are your thoughts on this, and is Bitdefender currently doing anything about deepfakes on its own? If so, could you give us some insight into it?

Regards

Alexandru_BD

Hello @Flexx,

Indeed, this is a hot topic these days and I remember the two of us discussed Bitdefender's stance on deepfakes some time ago. I'm glad that you brought it up here as well. I know Razvan is on a leave and until he gets the chance to comment here, I'll share a few insights with everyone who might be interested in deepfakes and what's being done about them.
Since deepfakes were discovered in their early stages, the Bitdefender security researchers have been working continuously on the deepfake / AI-powered scam front, and their work is probably better clustered in three strategic directions, to cut things short:

• Technology to identify deepfakes (if you want to learn more about what and how they do it, there is a great paper here: https://arxiv.org/pdf/2311.04584
• Education and awareness programs aimed at letting internet users know about the threat and how to respond to it;
• Searching for such content on large platforms (i.e social networks and reporting deepfakes before they reach the target audience:
  
  https://www.bitdefender.com/blog/labs/audio-deepfakes-celebrity-endorsed-giveaway-scams-and-fraudulent-investment-opportunities-flood-social-media-platforms/

Although I cannot pronounce myself in regard to potential partnerships and collaborations that may arise in the company's efforts to fight against these fraudsters, I am convinced that all available means will be explored to detect and prevent such threats. As for future plans and insights that can be communicated at this time, especially related to Scamio, I'll wait for @Razvan C to come back and share more insights with us, if possible.

Cheers

Razvan C

Hi @Flexx

Excellent question! While a consumer solution is not yet on the horizon, as Alexandru was saying, our researchers are working hard to ensure we are on top of the threats and technological advancements in this field. Lately, we have been closely observing and documenting the use of deepfakes in social media to enable fake ad scams. The trend is worrying. This year there are general elections in over 60 countries and we expect to see exponential growth for the malicious use of deepfakes. An educational campaign is already ongoing on our blogs and newsletters and we will continue to bring awareness.

Flexx

https://community.bitdefender.com/en/discussion/comment/342428#Comment_342428

@Razvan C, well, how about Bitdefender partnering with Google and Intel, which have been studying deepfakes and developing tools that can help to a certain extent? Since not everything is free, isn't it worth trying to partner with Google or Intel, which have already worked on deepfakes? Additionally, combining Bitdefender's advanced anti-malware technology with the R&D efforts of Google and Intel, which are now specifically focused on deepfakes, could lead to innovative solutions in cybersecurity.

Regards