Deepfakes: A Growing Cyber Threat
for Society and Business
By Arslan Hassan
What’s the first thing most of us do when we wake up in the morning? We reach for our smartphones and scan the headlines from our preferred news sources. We check Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
All of the information is not reliable because of the unknown sources. Most of these fakes produce even the finest images or videos taking precise measurements to make it real.
Deepfakes and their Impact on Society:
Deep fakes in simple words is a technique that is used to present content that is not true. They alter and use fake videos or pictures just to present that truth they are willing to when it is nothing near to it.
What happens when it’s easy for anyone with a laptop and access to the internet to fake a video of a state leader declaring war on the United States, or vice versa? There is no telling that how much these deep fakes could effect the economy of any country.
Most of the scams and leaking of personal information happens to be on electronic devices. Mainly with the help of internet. These can create inevitable chaos in the whole country. It can disturb the political reputation of the country and much more.
If a paradox can be solved than these deep fakes can cause serious troubles too. Deep fakes can be a serious threat to the society too. It is as easy as breaking a glass because most of the people are not aware of this kind of fake scams. This will lead people not to trust even their own family members. People will be so confused in real and fake that they will start to claim to be the righteous one, causing more and more conflicts. This could lead to a world war.
You can obtain the protection your business needs - including from cyber threats like deep fakes - by using managed IT services.
Combating Deepfakes Using Blockchain:
Scientists have been developing technologies to stop this or we could believe that it is secure. This technology is called Blockchains. A blockchain, originally block chain, is a growing list of records, called blocks that are linked using cryptography. Each block contains a cryptographic hash of the previous block, a timestamp, and transaction data.
By design, a blockchain is resistant to modification of the data. Blockchain, which began to emerge as a real-world tech option in 2016 and 2017, is poised to change IT in much the same way open-source software did a quarter century ago. And in the same way Linux took more than a decade to become a cornerstone in modern application development, Blockchain will likely take years to become a lower cost, more efficient way to share information and data between open and private business networks.
This is effective type to secure data in private and LAN connected nodes in an office or some other place. As a peer-to-peer network, combined with a distributed time-stamping server, public blockchain ledgers can be managed autonomously to exchange information between parties. There's no need for an administrator. In effect, the blockchain users or to be more precise the computers inter connected are the users and are the administrator.
A second form of blockchain, known as private or permissioned blockchain, allows business companies to create and centrally administer their own transactional networks that can be used inter- or intra-company with partners. Block change is very effective, and it also can be used in any kind of industry.
Blockchain solutions are not only limited to the exchange of cryptocurrencies. There are numerous benefits that this technology can present to businesses in many different industries, through its distributed and decentralized nature.
Blockchain’s greatest characteristic stems from the fact that it's transaction ledger for public addresses is open to viewing. In financial systems and businesses, this adds an unprecedented layer of accountability, holding each sector of the business responsible to act with integrity towards the company’s growth, its community and customers.
Due to its decentralized nature, Blockchain removes the need for middlemen in many processes for fields such as payments and real estate. In comparison to traditional financial services, it facilitates faster transactions by allowing P2P cross-border transfers with a digital currency. Property management processes are made more efficient with a unified system of ownership records, and smart contracts that would automate tenant-landlord agreements.
Help off AI and Block Chain:
With the perks of using and having internet come the downsides and disadvantages of it too. As every facility has its pros, along with it come all cons as well. Artificial intelligence has been playing a major role simplifying our life, taking part in almost every field on the other hand deepfakes, cybercrimes, identity theft, hacking and the list is on-going.
According to Chinese medicine, sometimes poison can fight poison. Likewise, AI and blockchain can help us fight these threaths. Blockchain can verify the fake videos by double checking it with the original ones.
A data scientist, Dr Alexander Adam articulates; machine learning can play a particularly important role in detecting fake audio files from the authentic files. “Any algorithm that’s used to manipulate images leaves behind geometric patterns on them,” says Giorgio Patrini, chief executive officer of Deeptrace. “These artefacts would not appear in genuine images from a camera and are often not visible to the human eye.”
The best way to safe people from this threat is to raise awareness on every platform. To teach students about such threats and issues. On office level, the staff and employees should be trained. Two-factor authentication, an inexpensive yet authenticated technique can be used.
All business companies should start investing for the protection against deepfakes. Even at household levels, protective measures are supposed to be taken. To keep the softwares and equipment’s up to date, scheduled maintenance can help. Maintenance done at specific intervals for offices, industries and even in AI now. It makes sure to keep the machines and gadgets up to date. Instead of waiting for the equipment to give up and fail, scheduled maintenance makes sure that the equipment is taken care of at regular intervals.
Scientists, and software engineers all together come up with new techniques to make a safe and protected cyber society.