Social Engineering, Deepfakes, and Digital Trust

Course description

A familiar voice, recognizable face, or convincing message can make a request seem trustworthy, but artificial intelligence is changing how attackers impersonate people and manipulate decisions. In this course, you'll explore how social engineering, voice cloning, and deepfake technology can be used to deceive employees and create convincing requests that appear to come from executives, coworkers, vendors, and other trusted individuals. You'll learn to recognize common manipulation tactics, including authority, urgency, secrecy, and pressure, and understand why familiar voices, realistic videos, and recognizable communication styles are not reliable proof of identity. The course explains how to evaluate suspicious requests by considering their context, potential consequences, and whether they bypass established safeguards. You'll discover why independent verification matters, how to confirm sensitive requests through trusted communication methods, and why verification procedures should reflect the level of risk involved. Examples involving fraudulent payments, confidential information, account access, and changes to established processes illustrate how these principles apply to workplace situations. You'll also learn when and how to report suspicious activity, including incidents where you may have already responded or shared information. By the end of this course, you'll understand how to make more informed security decisions without relying solely on digital appearances or familiarity.

Course outline