Business Daily

The deepfake CEOs

Feb 23, 2026
Karim Touba, CEO of LastPass, describes how his company and staff fend off deepfake fraud. Stephanie Hare, AI researcher and presenter, explains the rising cyber risk and need for safeguards. They discuss a $25m Arup heist, how easy deepfakes can be to make, the surge in incidents, and the verification arms race facing companies.
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ANECDOTE

Arup Employee Tricked Into $25 Million Transfer

  • Arup's Hong Kong employee was tricked by a video call where the CFO and others were deepfakes and transferred $25 million as instructed.
  • The fraud relied on a confidential transaction narrative and realistic video impersonation, only revealed later by police.
ANECDOTE

BSE CEO Deepfaked Into Giving Stock Tips

  • A deepfake video of Sundararaman Ramamurti, CEO of the Bombay Stock Exchange, circulated giving fake stock tips and investment advice.
  • BSE removed the clip and warned the market while Mr Ramamurti lodged complaints to platforms where it appeared.
ANECDOTE

LastPass Employee Spotting A Deepfake Impersonation

  • Karim Touba of LastPass described an April 2024 incident where an employee got an audio WhatsApp request impersonating him but the employee flagged it as suspicious.
  • The employee noticed wrong platform, personal device, and forced urgency, reported it, and the security team told them to disengage.
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