Deepfakes are targeting your executives. Here’s what actually works

Executive impersonation via deepfakes has evolved from theoretical risk to active enterprise threat, with detection and response capabilities currently lagging attacker sophistication—existing forensics tools work only post-incident while liveness detection systems remain immature for real-time verification during high-stakes calls. CIOs must implement a comprehensive operational framework combining multi-factor human verification (pre-agreed authentication phrases), proactive monitoring of executives' digital identity surfaces, incident response playbooks, specialized training for executives and their support staff, and cross-functional coordination rather than relying on immature detection tools as a standalone solution. This represents a critical shift in executive risk management requiring immediate protocol-based defenses alongside technology investments.