Beyond The Algorithm, AI Strategies With Aarti Samani

Your IT help desk just reset a password for someone who doesn't work at your company. 90% of ransomware incidents begin with stolen credentials, and most come through help desk password resets. Multi-factor authentication won't save you when the chain of trust is already broken.

Aarti Samani speaks with Hubert Behaghel, CPO of Veriff, about why identity, not authentication, is the real weak link in enterprise security, and why the help desk has become one of the most exploited attack surfaces in the organisation.

They unpack why fake worker fraud as a nation-state level threat and what Veriff's "infrastructure of trust" looks like in practice. It's a multi-layered approach cross-validating biometric liveness, behavioural signals and device data across the entire employee and customer lifecycle.

🔑 Key takeaways:

1. The line between insider and outsider is now porous, deepfakes and synthetic identities mean someone can gain full employee access without ever being who they claim to be.

2. MFA protects the wrong moment. If identity was never confirmed at the point of request, every layer built on that broken trust is irrelevant.

3. Employee verification should be treated with the same rigour as customer KYC. Verify not just at onboarding, but continuously.

4. If you don't test it, you don't know if you have a solution. Red teaming and social engineering testing should be on every executive's agenda.

Guest: Hubert Behaghel, CPO at Veriff🔗 veriff.com🔗 linkedin.com/in/behaghel

Host: Aarti Samani, Founder of Shreem Growth Partners🔗 aartisamani.com🔗 linkedin.com/in/aartisamani

#InsiderThreats #DeepfakeFraud #IdentityVerification #SocialEngineering #BeyondTheAlgorithm

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**Episode Summary:**

In part 1 of this two part episode, of *Beyond the Algorithm*, host Aarti Samani interviews Frank McKenna, a renowned fraud expert and co-founder of Point Predictive. Frank shares his extensive experience in combating the escalating waves of cybercrime and fraud that have surged post-pandemic.

From the dark realities of "fraud tsunamis" to the terrifying rise of digital doppelgangers and deepfake scams, this episode delves into the sophisticated tactics fraudsters use today. Frank also offers practical advice for businesses and individuals on how to protect themselves from these relentless attacks. Tune in to understand why the threat of cybercrime is far from over and what you can do to stay safe.

**Key Takeaways:**

**Fraud Tsunamis**:

The pandemic created a fertile ground for fraud, with $1.6 trillion stolen in the U.S. alone. The explosion of social media has only exacerbated the problem, making fraudsters more connected and dangerous.

**Digital Doppelgangers**:

With AI tools, anyone can create a digital twin of themselves - or of you. These digital doppelgangers can be weaponized, posing significant risks to personal and corporate security.

**Multimodal Fraud Attacks**:

Scammers now use a combination of deepfakes, voice cloning, social engineering, and more to execute sophisticated fraud schemes, such as Business Email Compromise (BEC) attacks.

**Practical Defense**:

Small businesses aren't immune to cyberattacks. Frank emphasizes the importance of employee training, enabling robust security measures, and using tools like two-factor authentication and whitelisting to safeguard against threats.

**Notable Quotes:**

1. *"The pandemic was really transformational… We saw a lot more people on social media sharing methods of how to commit fraud. By my own estimates, I think there's about a million new fraudsters that were radicalized just here in the U.S. alone."*

2. *"Digital doppelgangers are going to explode over the next few years. Zoom might let you join a call with your digital twin—just imagine the risks if someone else controls it."*

3. *"When technology catches up, and real-time deepfake conversations become possible, that’s when it’s going to get really dangerous."*

**Topics Discussed:**

- The pandemic's impact on the rise of cybercrime and fraud

- How fraudsters use social media to share tactics

- The concept and dangers of digital doppelgangers

- Multimodal fraud: Combining deepfakes, voice cloning, and social engineering

- Practical steps for businesses to defend against cyberattacks

- Case studies on ransomware and Business Email Compromise (BEC) attacks

- The frightening reality of pig butchering scams and their implications

Don't miss out on this crucial conversation that could protect you and your business from becoming the next victim of a cyberattack.

Subscribe, share with your network, and stay informed about the latest in fraud prevention.

Aarti Samani and Steve Suarez bring a mega episode on all things AI that goes beyond the algorithm!

In this conversation, Aarti Samani and Colin Fitzpatrick discuss the importance of AI for executive leaders and the mindset change required to embrace it.

Colin emphasizes the need for a Chief AI Officer in organizations and the role they play in setting AI strategy and fostering a culture of digital innovation.

Colin highlights the wide-ranging impact of AI on businesses and the need for leaders to adapt and incorporate AI into their growth strategies.

In this episode, Aarti Samani discusses the role of the Chief Data Officer (CDO) in defining AI strategy and driving AI initiatives , with Di Mayze, the first Global Head of Data & AI at WPP.

They explore

Tune in for an insightful conversation with takeaways that you can implement in your business and teams.