AI deepfakes are getting better at spoofing KYC verification: Binance exec

cointelegraph.com:

Deepfake technology used by crypto fraudsters to bypass know-your-customer (KYC) verification on crypto exchanges such as Binance is only going to get more advanced, Binance's chief security officer warns.

Deepfakes are made using artificial intelligence tools that use machine learning to create convincing audio, images or videos featuring a person’s likeness. While there are legitimate use cases for the technology, it can also be used for scams and hoaxes.

Deep fake AI poses a serious threat to humankind, and it's no longer just a far-fetched idea. I recently came across a video featuring a deep fake of @cz_binance , and it's scarily convincing. pic.twitter.com/BRCN7KaDgq

Speaking to Cointelegraph, Binance chief security officer Jimmy Su said there has been a rise in fraudsters using the tech to try and get past the exchange’s customer verification processes.

Su said the tools have become so advanced that they can even correctly respond to audio instructions designed to check whether the applicant is a human and can do so in real-time.

“Some of the verification requires the user, for example, to blink their left eye or look to the left or to the right, look up or look down. The deep fakes are advanced enough today that they can actually execute those commands,” he explained.

However, Su believes the faked videos are not at the level yet where they can fool a human operator.

“When we look at those videos, there are certain parts of it we can detect with the human eye,” for example, when the user is required to turn their head to the side,” said Su.

In August 2022, Binance’s chief communications officer Patrick Hillmann warned that a “sophisticated hacking team” was using his previous news interviews and TV appearances to create