Deepfake video conference sees criminals escape with US$25 million


In February, a multinational company’s finance team member in Hong Kong made headlines after he transmitted HK$200 million (US$25 million) to cybercriminals who pretended to be the chief financial officer and other colleagues, using deepfake technology, in what the worker thought was a legitimate video conference.

Now it’s been revealed that it was UK engineering group Arup that fell victim to the elaborate scam. When the cybercrime was first brought to light earlier this year, Hong Kong police’s Baron Chan Shun-ching told local reporters: “(In the) multi-person video conference, it turns out that everyone [he saw] was fake.”

Read more…
Source: Insurance Business


Sign up for our Newsletter


Related:

  • A guided tour of the cybercrime underground

    February 23, 2017

    One of the strange features of cybercrime is how much of it is public. A quick search will turn up forums and sites where stolen goods, credit cards and data are openly traded. But a glance into those places may not give you much idea about what is going on. “Everyone can join as long as you speak ...

  • New TeamSpy Malware Campaign Turns TeamViewer into Spy Tool

    February 20, 2017

    TeamSpy is back and it’s turning TeamViewer into the spying tool that no one wants. According to security firm Heimdal, a new spam campaign emerged over the weekend, carrying the TeamSpy malware which can give hackers full access to a compromised computer. This isn’t a new type of malware whatsoever. In fact, back in 2013, it was ...

  • Europol and Global Cyber Alliance team up to fight cyber-crime

    January 30, 2017

    Europol and the Global Cyber Alliance (GCA) have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to cooperate on decreasing systemic cyber-risk and improving internet security throughout Europe and beyond. As part of the MoU, Europol and GCA will fight cyber-crime through the exchange of information on cyber-crime trends and joint international projects to increase cyber-security. To this end, ...

  • Smaller firms set to ‘face £52bn in fines’ for security breaches as cyber-crime skyrockets

    January 14, 2017

    British firms were each subjected to an average of almost 230,000 cyber attacks in 2016, according to analysis from business internet service provider Beaming. The average volume of attacks hitting individual company firewalls passed the 1,000 per day mark for the first time in November. Meanwhile, the Payment Card Industry Security Standards Council suggested that UK firms ...

  • Netflix Users Under Attack As Hackers Try to Steal Credit Card Info

    January 10, 2017

    Security company FireEye detected a new wave of attacks aimed at Netflix users, with cybercriminals now turning to phishing schemes in order to steal their personal information, including credit card data, social security numbers, and other details. Although it seems that the attacks have been suspended, Netflix users in the United States should always keep an ...