Trend Micro Halts Deepfakes and AI-Driven Cyberattacks for Consumers and Enterprises

The cybersecurity leader announces features to ensure business resilience and secure AI adoption.

HONG KONG SAR, 1 August, 2024 – Trend Micro Incorporated (TYO: 4704; TSE: 4704), a global leader in cybersecurity, today unveiled significant innovations within its enterprise platform and consumer cybersecurity products. These advancements are dedicated to protecting all environments from the accelerating menace of AI-based attacks and fraud.

Research conducted by Trend Micro indicates that cybercriminals are increasingly capitalising on the surge in enterprise AI utilisation, resulting in a notable rise in AI-powered tools available on the criminal underground. These tools have become more affordable and accessible, enabling individuals of varying skill levels to launch large-scale attacks aimed at extortion, identity theft, fraud, or spreading misinformation.

Kevin Simzer, Chief Operating Officer at Trend Micro, remarked, “Our recent research has identified several new deepfake tools that facilitate cybercriminals, regardless of their expertise, in executing damaging scams, social engineering, and security breaches. We are at the forefront of the industry in combating these threats for both our enterprise and consumer customers with new capabilities to detect deepfakes and other forms of AI fraud. As with previous shifts in the threat and IT landscape, we have embraced the challenge of securing AI.”

The detection and mitigation of these AI-based methods are crucial for managing enterprise attack surface risks and reducing overall online threats for consumers—71% of whom, according to a recent Trend Micro survey, view deepfakes negatively and believe their primary use is for fraud.

Soon to be available in the Trend Vision One™️ platform, the new deepfake detection technology employs a range of advanced methods to identify AI-generated content. This feature is already accessible to consumers through Trend Micro Deepfake Inspector.

Beyond techniques such as image noise analysis and colour detection, the platform also examines user behavioural elements, providing a more robust approach to identifying and preventing deepfakes. Upon detection, Trend Micro immediately notifies enterprise security teams, enabling them to educate themselves and take proactive measures to thwart future attacks.

Trend Micro Deepfake Inspector assists in verifying whether a party on a live video call is utilising deepfake technology, alerting users that the individual they are conversing with may not be who they claim to be.

Dan Ayoub, Analyst at Gartner, stated, “The availability of high-quality GenAI applications capable of creating photo-realistic video content that can deceive audiences is increasing. Given the low barriers to entry and the sophistication of these tools, developing a methodical approach to detecting GenAI deepfake content is essential.”

Deepfakes pose a significant threat to modern enterprises and individuals. Undetected deepfakes can result in financial impacts, job terminations, legal issues, reputational damage, identity theft, and potential harm to mental or physical health. In a recent Trend Micro study, 36% of consumers reported experiencing a scam attempt involving a deepfake. The FBI has previously warned of deepfake technology being used in conjunction with video calls to execute business email compromise attacks and fraudulently apply for remote working positions.

This technology is being exploited not only to bypass human verification but also biometric security measures such as facial recognition. Trend Micro’s research has also identified a growing trend towards exploiting existing LLM models through innovative jailbreaking techniques rather than developing bespoke criminal AI tools.

The launch of Trend Micro’s new solutions aligns with the company’s mission to secure customers’ AI journeys. Supporting a zero trust strategy, Trend Micro recently introduced new features for Trend Vision One designed to:

• Centralise the management of employees’ GenAI access and usage
• Inspect prompts to prevent data leaks and malicious injections
• Filter GenAI content to comply with regulations
• Defend against large language model (LLM) attacks

Trend Micro Deepfake Inspector is a complimentary solution designed to alert users to potential deepfakes during video calls. Analysis occurs in real-time and locally on the consumer device, ensuring that users’ data and privacy are protected at all times.

Gartner, Emerging Tech: Combating Deepfakes, Deception and Disinformation in Multimedia Content, Dan Ayoub, 17 April 2024

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