Deepfakes

Detecting Deepfakes 101

Mar. 26, 2021 9am - 12pm

Facilitator: Aaron J. Ferguson, Ph.D., Technical Director for National Security Agency's Cryptographic Solutions Office

This workshop provides attendees introductory exposure to Deepfakes - what they are, why they are used, how they work and how to detect them using Generative Adversarial Networks (GANs). In the hands of the wrong person, DeepFakes can be used for fraud and/or malicious influence. GANs can generate images of people doing something out of character.

For instance, recently, a deepfaked voice was used to scam the CEO of a UK firm $244,000. We will then use these skills to harness the power of public image data as a means of promoting awareness of malign influence techniques used by malicious actors. we will explore a variety of Deepfake applications and assess their effectiveness. 

If time allows, we will discuss how to contribute to the Deepfake Detection Challenge using Kaggle to possibly make an impact on detecting Deepfakes. We will discuss how our insights could be used in a variety of contexts, e.g., elections, what questions the analysis inspires, and what follow-on steps would be advisable for the research.

Facilitator Bio: Dr. Aaron J. Ferguson

Dr. Ferguson is a Senior Executive Technical Director for the National Security Agency where he drives the planning, analysis, development, and operation of high assurance cryptographic solutions as well as the use of commercial solutions to protect classified information. He is also responsible for the application of Data Science and Machine to NSA cryptographic solution mission.

He is currently an adjunct professor at the University of Maryland Global Campus (UMGC) and has served as the NSA Visiting Professor at the United States Military Academy at West Point where he conducted cyber security research and taught courses in Information Technology and software engineering. Dr. Ferguson serves on cybersecurity education advisory boards at Howard University and the University of Delaware.

Dr. Ferguson, an international speaker, has published several articles on diversity, cybersecurity, and Machine Learning. He received his BS in Electrical Engineering from Howard University; an MS in Operations Research from the University of New Haven; and; an MS and PhD in Applied Math and Statistics from the University of Delaware. A New York City native, he loves to play, coach, and watch basketball and is an unapologetic fan of the NY Yankees, Giants, and Mets.