Sophistication of AI-backed operation targeting senator points to future of deepfake schemes
An advanced deepfake operation targeted Sen. Ben Cardin, the Democratic chair of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, this month, according to the Office of Senate Security
Washington (AP) — An advanced deepfake operation targeted Sen. Ben Cardin, the Democratic chair of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, this month, according to the Office of Senate Security, the latest sign that nefarious actors are turning to artificial intelligence in efforts to dupe top political figures in the United States.
Experts believe schemes like this will become more common now that the technical barriers that once existed around generative artificial intelligence have decreased. The notice from Senate Security sent to Senate offices on Monday said the attempt “stands out due to its technical sophistication and believability.”
The scheme centered around Dmytro Kuleba, the former Ukrainian Minister of Foreign Affairs. Cardin’s office received an email from someone they believed to be Kuleba, according to the notice, an official Cardin knew from a past meeting.
When the two met for a video call, the connection “was consistent in appearance and sound to past encounters.” It wasn’t until the caller posing as Kuleba began asking questions like “Do you support long range missiles into Russian territory? I need to know your answer,” that Cardin and his staff suspected “something was off,” the Senate notice said.
