IRONSCALES launches Deepfake Protection to fight phishing surge

IRONSCALES has announced the launch of Deepfake Protection, a new technology for identifying and countering deepfake threats in enterprise email security.

The company stated that this solution can recognise and neutralise deepfake-driven threats in real time, including the analysis of video and audio content using advanced artificial intelligence algorithms. The system is designed to flag potentially manipulated deepfake content before the intended recipients are exposed, providing an additional layer of defence for organisations against this rising category of cyberattack.

Deepfake-related social engineering attacks have grown substantially, with reported figures showing a 1,000% global increase from 2022 to 2023, and a 1,740% surge in North America. IRONSCALES referenced a recent study which indicated that traditional Secure Email Gateways are, on average, unable to prevent 67.5 phishing attacks per 100 mailboxes each month.

Concerns regarding these threats remain high among IT professionals. According to a survey cited by IRONSCALES, over 94% of IT experts are worried about the risks deepfakes pose, and 43% expect deepfake defence to become their primary security priority in the coming 12 to 18 months.

Eyal Benishti, Chief Executive Officer at IRONSCALES, commented: "The cybersecurity landscape is currently in the midst of a major sea change. Deepfakes, agentic AI, and other emergent technologies are fundamentally reshaping the threat landscape, ushering in a whole new stage in the evolution of phishing. This next generation of threats, which I like to call Phishing 3.0, is defined by highly-targeted, highly-sophisticated phishing threats that use these technologies to supercharge their social engineering strategies and launch attacks of unprecedented speed and scale."

"As we enter this new era, organisations are in dire need of tools and technologies that can protect and empower their workforce against these advanced threats. Our deepfake protection capabilities aim to do just that - giving organisations a powerful, proactive means of reliably detecting and preventing deepfake-driven attacks before they cause harm."

IRONSCALES highlighted that deepfake techniques, including doctored imagery, audio, and video, have been used by cybercriminals to deceive employees into wiring money, sharing confidential data, or providing unauthorised access to company systems. The new Deepfake Protection technology works by leveraging artificial intelligence to detect video and audio anomalies and flag possible threats early in the communication chain.

Itzik Menashe from Telit, an IRONSCALES customer, addressed the impact of this new approach: "The ability to detect deepfake videos in real time is a game-changer. Plus, the capabilities are integrated seamlessly with the IRONSCALES platform, making it incredibly easy to roll out and scale across our organisation. As cybercriminals continue to refine their tactics, IRONSCALES gives us the confidence to identify fraudulent attempts before they cause damage. This is a critical step in ensuring that our employees and partners can trust the messages they receive."

IRONSCALES' announcement comes as organisations seek more robust technological solutions to address the threat of increasingly sophisticated phishing and social engineering attacks. The company has stated that the technology is intended to fill existing gaps left by legacy email protection tools.

The new Deepfake Protection technology will be demonstrated live by IRONSCALES experts as part of the upcoming industry showcase, providing security professionals an opportunity to observe the system in a simulated environment.