Viral AI Cartoon Trend, Kaspersky Reveals Data Leakage and Social Engineering Risks
JAKARTA - Kaspersky warns of the data security risks behind a new trend on social media that asks AI to create caricatures or illustrations based on everything AI knows about its users.
The result is that AI will display an animated version of the person at the office, with family, or representing their profession.
While this trend may seem creative and entertaining, cybersecurity experts warn that this practice can expose personal information and enable the creation of large-scale, personalized phishing messages.
Because according to Kaspersky experts, to get a more accurate picture, people allow AI tools to access all information related to their profile without restrictions.
In addition to reference photos, additional data such as company name, company logo, position, city, daily routine, hobbies, and other family details are often included and used to create the trend.
By combining images, text, and context, habits, relationships, frequently visited places, and professional responsibilities, this complete information can then be exploited by cyber criminals to create more sophisticated scams.
As a result, attempts to defraud by mentioning where someone works, their position, or even a family member become much more convincing and increase the likelihood of increasing the victim's trust to share sensitive information or money.
"Every time a user in Asia Pacific gives AI details about themselves just to see a smart illustration, they hand over a blueprint for a perfect social engineering attack," said Adrian Hia, Managing Director for Asia Pacific at Kaspersky.
To reduce the risk, Kaspersky experts recommend:
Avoid including identifiable data in the fill-in fields, such as full name, position, company, city, address, schedule, or routine. Don't upload photos that feature logos, credentials, documents, vehicle license plates, screens, building facades, or any element that could help find you or associate you with an organization. Don't share information or images of minors, or reveal family details. Review the privacy and permissions policies of the platform before using it. Use digital protection to help reduce the risk of malicious links, malicious downloads, and phishing techniques.