An underground platform called OnlyFake has raised cybersecurity concerns due to its advanced fake IDs that come complete with realistic photos.
A recent investigation by 404Media labeled the operation as an “instant fake ID factory” that poses a significant threat by potentially streamlining illegal activities like bank fraud and money laundering, impacting cybersecurity on a larger scale.
By leveraging neural networks, OnlyFake offers counterfeit documents for a mere $15, disrupting the market for fake IDs and influencing online identity verification processes.
404Media tested the service by obtaining a fake California driver’s license, customized with any desired details, and successfully used another fabricated document from the platform to pass identity verification on OKX, the world’s second-largest cryptocurrency exchange.
A Continuous Challenge
OnlyFake stands out by providing instant digital IDs, eliminating the need for physical copies and lengthy production times. Within minutes, users receive a document that appears authentic, granting access to various services that would typically be inaccessible.
On their Telegram account, OnlyFake’s statement indicates that traditional document manipulation using programs like Photoshop is becoming outdated. They claim to generate up to 20,000 documents daily through “generators.” The platform’s owner, known as John Wick, disclosed to 404Media their capability to produce numerous fake IDs simultaneously by utilizing data from an Excel sheet.
This scenario unfolds as part of an ongoing battle between technology giants and malicious entities, spurred by the rapid evolution of AI, posing a significant threat to security systems. Microsoft has experienced this vulnerability firsthand when its technology was employed to create misleading deepfake images of Taylor Swift.
This struggle will likely persist as a marathon rather than a sprint, with the downfall of one deepfake scheme paving the way for new threats to emerge.
Lou Steinberg, founder and managing partner at CTM Insights, cautioned that we are just scratching the surface of AI-generated counterfeits.
He explained, “AI will assist both attackers and defenders in the realm of fake IDs, but it will provide more advantages to malicious actors. With the growing ease of generating hyper-realistic images and high-quality printing capabilities, additional security measures such as holograms and RFID chips have become standard in documents like passports, making it challenging for individuals to replicate at home.”
“As the trend of opening online accounts rises, the necessity for physical document copies diminishes. Consequently, relying on elements like embedded RFID chips and holograms for ID verification becomes less viable.”
Image: Dom J/Pexels
