AI Cybersecurity Threats: How to Protect Your Florida Business from Deepfakes, Phishing & Malware
AI is rapidly advancing – and bringing with it a whole new way to do business. While it's exciting to see, it can also be alarming when you consider that attackers have just as much access to AI tools as you do. For businesses across Florida's Treasure Coast and South Florida, understanding these emerging threats is critical to maintaining cybersecurity. Here are a few monsters lurking in the dark that A Faster PC wants to shine the light on.
Doppelgängers In Your Video Chats – Watch Out For Deepfakes
AI-generated deepfakes have become scarily accurate, and threat actors are using that to their advantage in social engineering attacks against businesses throughout Port St. Lucie, Stuart, and the surrounding areas.
For example, there was a recent incident observed by a security vendor where an employee of a cryptocurrency foundation joined a Zoom meeting with several deepfakes of known senior leadership within their company. The deepfakes told the employee to download a Zoom extension to access the Zoom microphone, paving the way for a North Korean intrusion.
For businesses, these types of scams are turning existing verification processes upside down. To identify them, look for red flags such as facial inconsistencies, long silences or strange lighting. A Faster PC's managed IT services can help your South Florida business implement verification protocols to defend against deepfake attacks.
Creepy Crawlies In Your Inbox – Stay Wary Of Phishing E-mails
Phishing e-mails have been a problem for years, but now that attackers can use AI to write e-mails for them, most of the obvious tells of a suspicious e-mail, like bad grammar or spelling errors, aren't a good way to spot them anymore.
Threat actors are also integrating AI tools into their phishing kits as a way to take landing pages or e-mails and translate them into other languages. This can help threat actors scale their phishing campaigns targeting Florida businesses.
However, many of the same security measures still apply to AI-generated phishing content. Extra defenses like multifactor authentication (MFA) make it much harder for attackers to get through, since they're unlikely to also have access to an external device like your cell phone. Security awareness training is still extremely useful for reducing employee risk, teaching them other red-flag indicators to look for, such as messages expressing urgency.
Skeleton AI Tools – More Malicious Software Than Substance
Attackers are riding on the popularity of AI as a way to trick people into downloading malware. We frequently see threat actors tailoring their lures and customizing their attacks to take advantage of popular current events or even seasonal fads like Black Friday. So, attackers using things like malicious "AI video generator" websites or fake malware-laden AI tools doesn't come as a surprise. In this case, fake AI "tools" are built with just enough legitimate software to make them look legitimate to the unsuspecting user – but underneath the surface, they're chock-full of malware.
For instance, a TikTok account was reportedly posting videos of ways to install "cracked software" to bypass licensing or activation requirements for apps like ChatGPT through a PowerShell command. But, in reality, the account was operating a malware distribution campaign, which was later exposed by researchers.
Security awareness training is key for businesses here too. A reliable way to protect your Treasure Coast or South Florida business is to ask your MSP to vet any new AI tools you're interested in before you download them. A Faster PC offers comprehensive cybersecurity assessments to ensure your organization stays protected.
Ready To Chase The AI Ghosts Out Of Your Business?
AI threats don't have to keep you up at night. From deepfakes to phishing to malicious "AI tools," attackers are getting smarter, but the right defenses will keep your business one step ahead.
As a trusted managed services provider serving Florida's Treasure Coast and South Florida, A Faster PC specializes in protecting businesses from evolving cybersecurity threats. Our comprehensive IT security solutions include multifactor authentication implementation, employee security awareness training, AI tool vetting, and 24/7 monitoring to safeguard your organization.
Schedule your free discovery call today and let's talk through how to protect your team from the scary side of AI ... before it becomes a real problem.
A Faster PC – Your Trusted MSP for Cybersecurity Solutions in Treasure Coast and South Florida
About A Faster PC
A Faster PC is a leading managed services provider (MSP) serving Florida's Treasure Coast and South Florida. We provide comprehensive IT support, advanced cybersecurity solutions, patch management, computer repair, and technical support for businesses and individuals throughout the region.
Every week at 10:07 AM EST, A Faster PC hosts A Faster PC Live Technical Support which is a live Radio Show that is livestreamed to YouTube and Facebook and is available as a podcast. For various ways to listen to and watch A Faster PC Live Technical support, visit https://www.afasterpc.com/live-technical-support/.
A Faster PC services the following counties and cities: St. Lucie County including: Port St. Lucie, Fort Pierce, St. Lucie West, Tradition, St. Lucie Village; Martin County including: Stuart, Jensen Beach, Jupiter Island, Ocean Breeze Park, and Sewall's Point; Indian River County: including Vero Beach, Sebastian, Fellsmere, Indian River Shores; Palm Beach County including: Jupiter, Jupiter Inlet Colony, Juno Beach, Tequesta, Palm Beach Gardens, North Palm Beach, Palm Beach Shores, Riviera Beach, West Palm Beach, Wellington, Royal Palm Beach, Greenacres, Lake Worth Beach, Lantana, Boynton Beach, Ocean Ridge, Briny Breezes, Gulf Stream, Delray Beach, Highland Beach, and Boca Raton; Broward County including: Fort Lauderdale, Hollywood, Pompano Beach, Coral Springs, Pembroke Pines, Miramar, Davie, Plantation, Sunrise, Deerfield Beach, Lauderhill, Weston, Tamarac, Coconut Creek, Margate, Lauderdale Lakes, Oakland Park, Hallandale Beach, Cooper City, Wilton Manors, Lighthouse Point, Parkland, Lauderdale-by-the-Sea, Sea Ranch Lakes, Lazy Lake, Hillsboro Beach, Southwest Ranches, North Lauderdale, Dania Beach; Miami-Dade County including: Miami, Miami Beach, Hialeah, Miami Gardens, Coral Gables, Homestead, Doral, North Miami, Aventura, Kendall, Cutler Bay, Sunny Isles Beach, Key Biscayne, Pinecrest, Surfside, Bal Harbour, North Miami Beach, Palmetto Bay, Miami Springs, Opa-locka, Miami Lakes, Florida City, South Miami, Sweetwater, West Miami, Bay Harbor Islands, Biscayne Park, El Portal, Golden Beach, Hialeah Gardens, Indian Creek, Medley, North Bay Village, and Virginia Gardens; and Okeechobee County including: Okeechobee, Taylor Creek, Cypress Quarters, Fort Drum, and Basinger.
