Deepfakes: The threat is Deep but it isn’t Fake!

Speakers:

• Kasey Thompson, Associate Professor, Ferris State University
• Greg Gogolin, Professor, Director of Cyber Security and Data Science, Ferris State University

‍

Session Description:

The US Department of Homeland Security National Terrorism Advisory System Bulletin dated February 7, 2022, specifically identifies the amplification of mis- dis- and mal-information (MDM) and the potential to inspire acts of violence, & terror.  This presentation specifically addresses many of the concerns raised in this National Terrorism Advisory System Bulletin. Unfortunately, the targets and consumer of deepfakes are often naive and unsuspecting, resulting in often irreversible perceptions that germinate beliefs, conjecture and actions that are damaging to the individual as well as society.  Deepfakes may indeed be the single most effective cybersecurity threat because their impacts can be so far reaching and exhibit lasting consequences that can’t be patched with a bug fix or basic procedural change.