Only a third of Brits confident they could identify a deepfake call from their boss

Deepfakes are a bigger worry for British workers than AI threats to their job, according to a newly released study from CyberArk, with just a third confident they could tell if an email or call from their boss was faked.

The polling found that 46% of UK workers are worried about their likeness being used in deepfakes – 9% more than those worried that AI will replace them in their roles (37%).

However, AI remains a real fear for most workers, who are concerned that the burgeoning technology might be used to steal confidential information through digital scams.

In its latest study, CyberArk commissioned Opinium Matters to carry out a survey of 2,000 workers across the UK to gather insights and understanding about how AI-powered attacks on digital identities are affecting UK employees.

It found the top three cyber scams causing anxiety among British workers are payment fraud (59%), incorrect use of sensitive data (57%) and unauthorised logins to confidential systems (47%).

Deepfakes are currently high on the agenda ahead of the UK’s general election on 4 July. Today’s Infosec Conference in London was set to be headlined by expert Henry Ajder, who told TechInformed that this will be the UK’s first “Deepfake election”, although he added it was unclear if use of deepfakes will actually win any votes.

He also warned that businesses must make sure employees are aware of potential deepfake threats and how they can happen at scale.

One threat concerning workers is scams that involve emails or calls impersonating their bosses or higher-ups at their employers. Just over a third (35%) said they were not confident they’d be able to spot if a very convincing phone call or email from their boss is actually fake.

This is made even worse due to a lack of confidence in IT security, with just 30% believing their organisation’s defences are prepared to deal with this kind of deceit.

Brits are surer that they could spot a fake video recording showing their CEO exchanging cash with criminals (70%). Women are also more fearful about AI being used to impersonate them than men (50% vs 40%).

“The rise and continued uptick in quality of AI-generated “deepfakes” to realistically manipulate someone’s identity – be it video, audio, or image – is an extremely worrying trend, not only for celebrities and politicians but for UK PLC also,” said Rich Turner, president, EMEA at CyberArk.

“The components of our digital identities are as much a part of who we are as a physical fingerprint is. If aspects of our digital identity are stolen or faked, the consequences can reverberate in both our personal and professional lives.

“Deepfaked audio and other AI-powered attacks can not only sway public opinion, they can also be a way of compromising our employers’ sensitive data and assets. CISOs and other IT leaders must be prepared to address these identity security challenges in 2024.”