Cybercrime unit warns of surge in deepfakes, cyber attacks in 2025

The Cybercrime Investigation and Coordinating Center (CICC) on Wednesday, March 12, warned of a potential surge in deepfake technology and cyber attacks in 2025, urging the public and private sectors to strengthen their digital defenses.

The CICC raised concerns about the increasing threat of deepfakes and cyber attacks this year, particularly in light of the upcoming mid-term elections and the growing use of artificial intelligence (AI).

"Elections are just a few weeks away, and I think that's the issue we need to address right now because it will significantly impact the country's future," said CICC Executive Director Alexander K. Ramos.

The CICC disclosed the potential rise in cyber attacks and deepfakes during the conference titled "Forging Collaborative Cyber Resilience: Protecting Critical Infrastructure and Democratic Institutions," held on March 11 and 12 in Makati City.

Among the members of the diplomatic community present at the cybersecurity conference were Canadian Ambassador David Hartman, New Zealand Ambassador Catherine McIntosh, Vietnamese Ambassador Lai Thai Binh, Czech Ambassador Karel Hejc, and Finnish Ambassador Saija Nurminen.

Combating deepfakes

According to the CICC, it has been detecting between 200 to 300 deepfakes daily.

“We are facing a challenge with artificial intelligence and deepfakes creating havoc," Ramos said.

Ramos spoke during the first panel of the conference, titled "Assessing the Cyber Threat Landscape in the Philippines."

The event was organized by the Stratbase Institute and the Embassy of Canada.

As part of its "Whole-of-Society" approach to suppress the proliferation of deepfakes, the CICC said it is collaborating with stakeholders to establish a nationwide task force. This task force will include representatives from government agencies, technology companies, media organizations, educational institutions, and civil society.

“We are now working on guidelines for the reporting mechanism. The tools we have acquired will also be distributed,” Ramos added.

To combat the spread of deepfakes, the CICC said it recently procured new software capable of detecting deepfakes within 30 seconds with a 95 percent accuracy rate.