As deepfakes quickly advance in terms of sophistication, they can be scarily convincing, as we’ve seen in some examples. And what’s more, they’re becoming increasingly popular with cybercriminals, as these technologies become even easier to use.

The introduction of VALL-E, for instance, has raised new concerns about the ability to make deepfake voices quick and easy -- in other words, quickfakes.

As these technologies become more accessible and easier use, it’s likely to open new opportunities for bad actors with limited resources and technical chops to use them for new forms of cyber-attack and fraud.

Deepfakes are part of the ongoing trend of weaponized AI. They’re extremely effective in the context of social engineering because they use AI to mimic human communications so well.

With tools like these, malicious actors can easily hoodwink people into giving them credentials or other sensitive information, or even transfer money for instant financial gain.