Early in 2024, an employee of UK engineering firm Arup made a seemingly routine transfer of millions of company dollars, following a video call with senior management.
Except, it turned out, the employee hadn’t been talking to Arup managers at all, but to deepfakes created by artificial intelligence. The employee had been tricked into sending $25 million to criminals.
This wasn’t a traditional cyberattack, the kind that compromises a company’s digital systems. This attack used psychology and sophisticated deepfake technology to gain the employee’s confidence.
This wasn’t a traditional cyberattack, the kind that compromises a company’s digital systems. This attack used psychology and sophisticated deepfake technology to gain the employee’s confidence.
It’s an example of how cybercrime is evolving. At the time, Arup’s Chief Information Officer, Rob Greig, said the company had seen the number of cyberattacks rise sharply, along with their sophistication.
