Recently Securitydive interacted with Shawn Loveland COO of Resecurity who emphasized the company’s commitment to making cybersecurity services accessible to everyday citizens who may not be fully aware of looming cyber threats.
Loveland stated, “Cybercriminals often exploit the digital identities of children, women, and law-abiding individuals to commit cybercrimes and fraud, causing detrimental impacts on the victims’ personal lives and privacy.”
Resecurity in its recent effort to combat fraud, has identified and blocked over 630 accounts suspected of distributing fraudulent content targeting consumers preparing for Hajj season via social media.
These accounts were allegedly distributing false information and scams related to Hajj travel, accommodation, and other services, with the intention of deceiving and defrauding individual.
Fraudsters are increasingly using so called “troll factories” to spread deceptive content on social media, often as part of their schemes to defraud individuals says Loveland.
A troll factory is a network of individuals who are hired to create and disseminate online content, often designed to deceive, or manipulate.
SecurityDive.in: The incorporation of AI into the Advance Hacking Mechanism has made a devastating impact.
How your company is making efforts in confronting advanced AI-based intelligent & devastating threats.
Shawn Loveland, Resecurity COO: We at Resecurity leverage robust data science and global threat intelligence collection to stay on top to detect such threats.
For example, analyzing data distributed by fraudsters and cybercriminals, our data scientists develop specialized data patterns and metrics allowing to detect such content proactively.
Notably, there are also ways to detect AI-generated content leveraging known LLMs – as one of the early-warning indicators, what allows to detect suspicious activity at the early stage. Unfortunately, threat actors are constantly evaluating their tactics and tooling, where AI starts to play on of the key roles.
SecurityDive.in: How do you think Evolving Fraudulent Tactics For Identity Theft can affect organizations in 2024.
What would you have done if you were placed in a senior position to combat threats?
Shawn Loveland: The key priority – implementation of robust digital identity protection in place, as consumers worldwide suffer lack of cybersecurity awareness and not able to adequately protect themselves. In context of KSA (and India, along with many other countries).
Resecurity was the first technology company who built digital identity programs and solutions for variety of enterprises and government organizations to protect consumers:
They introduced in 2023, its state-of-the-art Digital Identity Protection (IDP) solution at the prestigious Black Hat Middle East & Africa 2023 conference scheduled for 14th-16th November 2023 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
This strategic move aligns with Resecurity’s commitment to creating a safer digital society and empowering individuals and businesses in the region to counteract cyber threats effectively.
SecurityDive.in: Generative AI And “Troll Factories” How do you define that.
Shawn Loveland: In the context of fraud, troll factories can be used to create fake profiles, spread false information, or engage in other forms of online manipulation. For example, fraudsters may use troll factories to create fake reviews or testimonials for a product or service or to spread false information about important events.
These “factories” can be used to create bots, spread fake news, propaganda, or other forms of deceptive information, with the goal of influencing public opinion or driving traffic to malicious websites says Loveland.
The blocked accounts during Hajj season, were part of a larger investigation that aimed to uncover and disrupt fraudulent activities on social media.
By taking swift action to identify and block these accounts, Resecurity has helped protect consumers from falling victim to these types of scams. This effort highlights the importance of collaboration between online platforms, law enforcement agencies and private sector in fighting fraud and promoting online safety.
Notably, fraudsters were detected using generative AI to create convincing texts in Arabic, disseminating Hajj season-related messages. Generative AI is a type of artificial intelligence that can generate human-like content, including text, images, and audio. In this case, the fraudsters employed this technology to create deceiving messages that could be used to trick victims.
