The rise of Deepfake job candidates

The job market faces a new threat as AI-generated applicants compete with human job seekers, creating significant security risks and additional hurdles in an already challenging employment landscape. Cybersecurity experts have identified sophisticated scammers using AI to create fake identities complete with generated headshots, résumés, and websites tailored to specific job openings—sometimes successfully securing positions where they can steal trade secrets or install malware.

The big picture: AI-powered job application scams represent a growing cybersecurity threat targeting companies through their hiring processes.

• Scammers are using artificial intelligence to create convincing fake applicants with custom-tailored résumés and identities designed to match specific job requirements.
• Once hired, these bad actors can potentially steal trade secrets and sabotage company systems with malware.

What they’re saying: Dawid Moczadlo, co-founder of cybersecurity firm Vidoc, exposed this threat after interviewing a candidate using an AI filter to disguise their identity.

• “We felt a little bit violated, because we are the security experts,” Moczadlo told CBS News after discovering the deception during a video interview.
• The cybersecurity expert asked the suspicious candidate to place their hand in front of their face to test if it would disrupt the suspected deepfake filter, ending the call immediately when they refused.

Behind the numbers: Security researchers who analyzed Moczadlo’s case found similarities to North Korean hacker networks that create fake identities to secure remote positions in the United States.

Why this matters: Companies without specialized security expertise are particularly vulnerable to these sophisticated deception tactics.

• “We are really lucky that we are security experts. But for companies that have regular people like hiring managers or regular startup founders, it’s really hard for them to spot something like this,” Moczadlo explained.

Adaptations: Vidoc has implemented new hiring protocols after experiencing repeated AI impersonation attempts.

• The company now flies top candidates to San Francisco for in-person interviews, covering travel expenses and paying for a trial workday.

The big challenge: Job seekers now face pressure from multiple AI-related fronts in the employment market.

• While companies lay off staff in attempts to integrate AI into their operations, these AI-generated fake applicants simultaneously complicate the hiring process for legitimate job seekers.