DNB bank was targeted by a sophisticated deepfake attack where criminals used AI-generated video and audio to impersonate executives in a live Teams meeting, attempting to trick employees into transferring millions of Singapore dollars.
On January 21, 2025, DNB bank received suspicious WhatsApp messages purporting to be from CFO Ida Lerner inviting leaders at DNB's Singapore and London offices to a meeting about a new product launch. Two days later on January 23, a Teams meeting was held where deepfake technology was used to create convincing audio and video representations of CEO Kjerstin Braathen and CFO Lerner. The criminals used publicly available video footage of the executives found online, creating a loop of their voices and images with Lerner's recognizable English accent from her time at HSBC. During the meeting, the fake Lerner presented what appeared to be a unique investment opportunity and instructed DNB to transfer several million Singapore dollars to complete the transaction. DNB's security team had been alerted to the suspicious WhatsApp contact and decided to continue with the meeting as a learning exercise. The deepfake was sophisticated enough that audio quality made it difficult to distinguish from real voices, though some red flags included Braathen appearing to wear summer clothes in November and the unusual use of WhatsApp for executive communication. DNB terminated contact when payment instructions were displayed on screen. The attack was conducted by non-Norwegian sophisticated actors who demonstrated advanced capabilities in conducting live deepfake meetings with real-time interaction.
Domain classification, causal taxonomy, severity scores, and national security assessments were LLM-classified and may contain errors.
Using AI systems to gain a personal advantage over others such as through cheating, fraud, scams, blackmail or targeted manipulation of beliefs or behavior. Examples include AI-facilitated plagiarism for research or education, impersonating a trusted or fake individual for illegitimate financial benefit, or creating humiliating or sexual imagery.
AI system
Due to a decision or action made by an AI system
Intentional
Due to an expected outcome from pursuing a goal
Post-deployment
Occurring after the AI model has been trained and deployed