The author suggests that while these scams are not new, the combination of AI and the vast amount of data from social media profiles presents a greater risk to digital identity than ever before. To counter these threats, the author proposes the elimination of traditional security questions, not relying on voice identification, and implementing a higher burden of proof for tech support calls. The author also suggests the application of two-factor authentication and other enhanced security options to make technology use safer.
Key takeaways:
- Advances in AI, image recognition and language processing are making social media a gold mine for cybercriminals, who can automatically scan through billions of datasets to reveal patterns and attack vectors.
- AI supercharges specific attack vectors, making them more dangerous and requiring countermeasures. For example, AI-assisted image recognition can detect the make and model of a car from any angle, which can be used to answer security questions.
- New technologies like biometrics are not safe from AI-based attacks. Voice cloning has become good enough for researchers to break into their own accounts, and the world is full of training material to clone voices.
- AI is allowing scammers to up their game, with new tools generating realistic talking points on the fly. Combined with deep fake AI, hackers no longer have to place scam calls themselves.