external network penetration testing
Artificial intelligence can now generate realistic synthetic audio, video, and images that are increasingly difficult to distinguish from genuine content. This technology, broadly termed deepfakes, has moved beyond entertainment and misinformation into the corporate threat landscape. Attackers use deepfake capabilities to impersonate executives, manipulate financial transactions, and bypass identity verification processes.
Voice deepfakes represent the most immediate corporate threat. With as little as a few minutes of publicly available audio, from conference presentations, podcast appearances, or investor calls, attackers can create convincing replicas of executive voices. These synthetic voices have successfully convinced employees to authorise urgent wire transfers, share confidential information, and grant system access based on what appeared to be direct instructions from leadership.
Video deepfakes in real-time video calls add visual credibility to voice-based deception. An attacker joining a video conference while appearing to be the CEO carries significantly more authority than a phone call alone. As video conferencing remains central to business communication, this attack vector will grow in both sophistication and frequency.
Identity verification processes that rely on voice or video confirmation face fundamental challenges from deepfake technology. Know-your-customer procedures in financial services, remote identity verification for access provisioning, and phone-based authentication all assume that seeing or hearing someone confirms their identity. Deepfakes invalidate that assumption.
Technical detection tools for deepfakes are developing but remain imperfect. Artefacts in synthetic audio, inconsistencies in facial movements, and metadata analysis can sometimes identify manipulated content. However, the generation technology improves faster than detection technology, creating an ongoing arms race that defenders currently struggle to win through technical means alone.
Expert Commentary
William Fieldhouse | Director of Aardwolf Security Ltd
“Deepfake technology has crossed the threshold from novelty to genuine corporate threat. We have seen cases where AI-generated voice calls convinced finance teams to authorise substantial transfers. The technology is accessible, improving rapidly, and extremely effective against organisations that rely on voice or video verification without additional safeguards.”
Process-based defences offer more reliable protection than technical detection. Implementing callback verification for financial requests, requiring multi-person authorisation for significant transactions, and establishing out-of-band confirmation channels for sensitive instructions all reduce deepfake effectiveness regardless of how convincing the synthetic content becomes.
Regular external network penetration testing that includes social engineering components should incorporate deepfake awareness scenarios. Testing whether employees follow verification procedures when receiving seemingly legitimate requests from leadership identifies gaps in both training and process compliance before real attackers exploit them.
Employee awareness training must address deepfake threats specifically. Staff who understand that voices and faces can be convincingly replicated are more likely to follow verification procedures even when a request appears to come from a known, trusted individual. Real-world examples of successful deepfake attacks make the threat tangible and motivate compliance with protective processes.
Executive exposure management helps reduce the raw material available for deepfake creation. While public appearances cannot be eliminated entirely, understanding that every recorded presentation, interview, and social media appearance potentially provides training data for voice and video synthesis encourages more thoughtful management of executive public content. Working with the best penetration testing company that understands emerging threats like deepfakes ensures your security assessments address the latest attack techniques.
Deepfake technology will continue advancing, making synthetic content progressively harder to distinguish from reality. Organisations that build their defences around process verification rather than human perception create resilience that adapts to improving technology. Trust but verify was always good advice. In the age of deepfakes, it has become essential.
