'Deepfake as a service' sees 39% spike in dark web conversations and experts fear it will fuel the next wave of fake boss scams

Date:
Wed, 24 Jun 2026 17:25:00 +0000

Description:
Businesses must prepare for what's coming by focusing on prevention and employee education.

FULL STORY ======================================================================Copy link Facebook X Whatsapp Reddit Pinterest Flipboard Threads Email Share this article 0 Join the conversation Follow us Add us as a preferred source on Google Newsletter Subscribe to our newsletter NordStellar found 924 darkweb posts about deepfakesasaservice (DFaaS) JanMay 2026, up 39% yearonyear Rising interest driven by generative AI advances, enabling hyperrealistic fake boss scams and lowering barriers for attackers Experts urge prevention through employee education and monitoring for leaked company data to reduce risk of targeted deepfake attacks The interest in deepfakes-as-a-service (DFaaS)
among criminals is growing, and the cybersecurity community is worried it might fuel the next wave of fake boss scams.

This is according to a new report from threat exposure management platform, NordStellar. Analyzing discussions on the dark web, the researchers found
that between January and May this year, there were 924 posts about DFaaS, up 39% compared to the same period last year, when there were 663 similar posts. The rapid growth in popularity of deepfakes as a service is likely
accelerated by advancements in generative AI, which help cybercriminals in
two ways by speeding up the creation of deepfakes and making them hyper-realistic, says Vakaris Noreika, cybersecurity expert at NordStellar. Ultimately, this service lowers the barrier to entry for deepfake technology, enabling threat actors to deploy highly deceptive attacks at a larger scale, regardless of their personal technical skill set. Latest Videos From Watch full video here: How to defend against convincing deepfake attacks? Experts are worried the rising interest might result in more fake boss scams which, at that, would be even more difficult to spot. Business Email Compromise (BEC), a fake boss scam that primarily uses written emails, has for years
been among the most lucrative tactics in the criminal underworld. According
to the FBI, BEC was the second costliest tactic last year, with company
losses exceeding $3 billion (up 11% compared to 2024).

Defending against highly convincing deepfake images and videos might not be easy, but it certainly isnt impossible. Noreika suggests businesses should focus on prevention and employee education, since they cannot control whether crooks target them or not. You may like AI-generated threats are hitting businesses harder than ever - do you know what to look out for? 76% of UK organizations have faced deepfake attacks. Most werent ready 'Verify before you act': security expert reveals the simple steps you can take to stay safe from deepfakes

The more details and access attackers obtain, the easier it is for them to craft highly realistic, targeted attacks, says Noreika. Monitoring the dark web for leaked company information is a critical step in preventing cybercriminals from finding credentials to breach accounts or data to use as intel . The best antivirus for all budgets Our top picks, based on real-world testing and comparisons

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Link to news story: https://www.techradar.com/pro/security/deepfake-as-a-service-sees-39-percent-s pike-in-dark-web-conversations-and-experts-fear-it-will-fuel-the-next-wave-of- fake-boss-scams


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