Risks Associated with AI & Social Engineering

The second live podcast of the Security Middle East Conference welcomed Alex Bomberg, F.ISRM, MSyI, Chairman of Intelligent (UK Holdings) Limited and Founder of International Intelligence Limited, to the stage.

Alex was joined by the fantastic podcast host and Conference MC, Daniel Norman, Regional Manager, EMEA, for Information Security Forum, for a crucial discussion on the growing risks associated with Artificial Intelligence and social engineering globally.

They dove deep into how AI is amplifying the scale and sophistication of manipulative tactics, making it easier for malicious actors to craft believable scams and exploit human vulnerabilities like never before.

Daniel started the topic off by recognising the huge volume of AI attacks we see, and how AI is being used to manipulate social engineering.

Alex told the audience that social engineering is not a 21st-century construct, despite what you may think. Only the method has evolved. He said: “Social engineering goes back before the dawn of time. It’s taking advantage of human nature to get desired results, it’s in marketing, it’s in politics…”

When did it all change? According to the experts, social engineering really came about with telephone banking, and the emergence of fraud. Technology is a massive enabler for fraud.

The speed with which social engineering has evolved has been driven by one key element. Alex told the audience that with the advent of social media we are putting out a huge amount of data. In fact, thousands of data points every month, through normal activities.

“Is TikTok to blame? No, but if you put something on TikTok, a young person or an old person will believe it right away. With social engineering and the data points out there, we can target individuals easier than ever before. Data you receive (from platforms like TikTok) is tailored to you, whether you like it or not. This is the new reality”, said Alex.

Alex then went on to share details about the Arup incident. He said: “An individual was approached and was invited to a Zoom call with some executives, and those executives told him about the deal. They were really engaging with him, they were live pictures. And the individual had to move the money to an illicit account.

“It was all deep fake, a manipulated live video in conversation. It displayed their accent, mannerisms. It was all correct. So US$26 million was released and the individual thought the entire time he was doing the right thing.”

Daniel asked Alex about the techniques, tactics and strategies that we have seen and that can be used in response? Alex replied that the answer comes from the top down in an organisation: educating people.

The duo also touch on how COVID has had an impact on these malicious acts. Pre-COVID, Alex said it would be simple to walk down the corridor and ask a colleague about something odd. But since COVID, that hasn’t been the case.

Alex also warned the audience that geopolitical deepfakes are going to shape our future: “What if we get adverse statements from our political leaders?” he asked.

Watch the full discussion here.