Deepfake Audio Social Engineering Scenario

Scenario Overview

Exercise Type: Executive-Level Crisis Simulation Target Audience: CISO, Legal Counsel, Communications Leadership, Fraud Investigation Teams Scenario: AI Voice Cloning Attack Leading to Financial Fraud & Data Thef Duration: 120-150 minutes Exercise Objective: Validate cross-functional response to synthetic media exploitation targeting financial systems

Facilitator Guidelines

Emphasize real-time decision-making under regulatory pressure
Highlight coordination between finance, IT, and external partners
Track synthetic media detection capabilities
Simulate evolving media scrutiny and investor reactions

Exercise Script

INJECT 1: Unauthorized Wire Transfer (Day 1 - 09:18 AM)

Situation:

Treasury team processes $3.2M transfer to Banco de Costa Rica per "CFO" phone authorization:
- Caller ID spoofed to match CFO's direct line
- Voice biometrics initially cleared by IVR system
- Urgent request cited "confidential M&A due diligence"
Payment flagged post-settlement by AML system for unusual beneficiary patterns

Facilitator Notes:

Observe fraud reversal protocol awareness
Note discussions about synthetic voice detection thresholds

DISCUSSION PROMPT: "What immediate actions with correspondent banks? How validate authorization authenticity?"

INJECT 2: Deepfake Confirmation (Day 1 - 11:45 AM)

Situation:

Voice forensic analysis reveals:
- 97% match to CFO's vocal print but abnormal pauses
- Background noise patterns inconsistent with CFO's office
- AI artifact traces in high-frequency vocal bands
Call metadata shows:
- Originated from VoIP provider in Belarus
- 14-second call setup latency suggesting TOR routing

Facilitator Notes:

Assess synthetic media investigation workflows
Note debates about public disclosure timing

DISCUSSION PROMPT: "What internal communications policy applies? When involve law enforcement agencies?"

INJECT 3: Lateral Account Compromise (Day 1 - 2:30 PM)

Situation:

Okta logs show attacker used stolen session cookies to:
- Create API client with full Accounting Hub access
- Disable MFA enforcement policies for 14 service accounts
- Export 18 months of ACH transaction histories
Exfiltrated data appears on darknet marketplace with:
- Sample buyer lists and payment terms
- Offer to "prove legitimacy" via fresh transaction records

Facilitator Notes:

Evaluate identity provider hardening measures
Note discussions about API secret rotation

DISCUSSION PROMPT: "What containment steps for exposed financial data? How prevent certificate abuse?"

INJECT 4: Vendor System Breach (Day 2 - 8:45 AM)

Situation:

Payment processor notifies [WithPCI.com Company Name] of:
- Unusual API calls from legacy webhook endpoints
- 9,812 fraudulent refund requests issued overnight
- $870K in disputed transactions across 14 currencies
Forensic timeline links activity to:
- Compressed TLS sessions using RFC 8479 (0-RTT)
- Reused authentication tokens from mobile SDK v2.1.4

Facilitator Notes:

Assess third-party incident response coordination
Note discussions about payment gateway failover

DISCUSSION PROMPT: "What contractual obligations exist with processors? How implement emergency transaction holds?"

INJECT 5: Media Frenzy (Day 2 - 11:30 AM)

Situation:

Financial Times headline:

"[WithPCI.com Company Name] AI Fraud Debacle: When Machines Mimic Leadership"
CNBC interview with "blockchain analyst" claims:
- 14K customer bank accounts exposed
- Board members liquidating shares
Social listening tools detect:
- 280% increase in brand sentiment negativity
- #DeepfakeFraud trending across 7 countries

Facilitator Notes:

Observe crisis communication strategies
Note discussions about Regulation FD compliance

DISCUSSION PROMPT: "What public statement balances transparency with liability? How counter misinformation?"

INJECT 6: Regulatory Fallout (Day 3 - 9:00 AM)

Situation:

SEC subpoena demands:
- All voice authentication system documentation
- Board communications regarding AI fraud risks
- Insider trading reports for C-suite members
EU DPA initiates GDPR Article 33 non-compliance proceedings citing:
- 72-hour notification delay
- Insufficient pseudonymization of payment data

Facilitator Notes:

Highlight cross-jurisdictional legal challenges
Note discussions about D&O insurance coverage

DISCUSSION PROMPT: "What discovery protections exist for internal investigations? How align legal/PR strategies?"

INJECT 7: Long-Term Remediation (Day 30 - 10:00 AM)

Situation:

Post-incident metrics:
- $4.1M unrecovered funds
- 22% decrease in B2B transaction volume
- AA credit rating downgraded to A-
Implemented controls:
- Quantum-resistant voice biometrics
- Hardware security modules for payment approvals
- Synthetic media red team program

Facilitator Notes:

Focus on security ROI justification
Note discussions about AI ethics frameworks

DISCUSSION PROMPT: "What metrics define program success? How rebuild partner trust in authentication systems?"

Exercise Debrief

Strategic Focus Areas:

Synthetic Media Detection Architectures
Payment Fraud Kill Chains
Cross-Border Regulatory Navigation
Executive Protection Protocols
Third-Party Risk Transfer

After-Action Deliverables:

Deepfake Incident Response Playbook
Voice Biometric Assurance Framework
Payment API Security Standard
Board-Level AI Risk Dashboard

Next Steps:

Conduct purple team exercise simulating vishing upgrades
Implement mandatory media authenticity training
Schedule semi-annual synthetic media fire drills