New Feature is the Latest Innovation to BlackCoak’s Digital Executive Protection Technology Platform, Designed to Protect Organizations from AI-Generated Attacks Targeting Company Executives By Impersonating Their Trusted Contacts

Key Takeaways: 

  • The most common deepfakes are impersonation of executives’ trusted contacts, urgent demands for payments, virtual ransom incidents, and false information about a security or financial matter. 
  • 42% of respondents say their executives and board members have been targeted at least once by a fake image or video, according to a new 2025 report from the Ponemon Institute.
  • BlackCloak’s new solution protects users against all scam and impersonation attacks, not just those that use AI or Deepfakes. It empowers users receiving a suspicious message, video, or phone call to verify the sender’s identity through the BlackCloak mobile app, ensuring content authenticity and preventing deepfakes and impersonation. 
  • The BlackCloak Identity Verification feature is part of the company’s industry-leading Digital Executive Protection solution. 

 

Orlando, FL – April 22, 2025 – BlackCloak, the pioneer in Digital Executive Protection for executive leaders, board members, and their families as well as family offices and high-net-worth individuals, announced today its new Identity Verification solution. The new solution protects users from all types of impersonation and scam campaigns, including deepfake-powered attacks, targeting high-profile executives and individuals. 

Leveraging AI and publicly available audio, video, and images, attackers create convincing fake videos and audio recordings of executives asking employees or family members to transfer funds or take other actions that compromise company assets or confidential data. BlackCloak’s new Identity Verification offering is the first to address this rapidly emerging cybersecurity issue by enabling customers who receive a suspicious email to verify the sender’s identity and ensure the message is authentic. The feature is part of the company’s industry-leading Digital Executive Protection (DEP) Framework, setting the standard for modern Digital Executive Protection. 

Business leaders and individuals with significant net worth, including professional athletes and celebrities, face this growing threat. A recent report from the Ponemon Institute highlighted the escalating problem. The report, Deepfake Deception: How AI Harms the Fortunes and Reputation of Executives and Corporations, a survey of 586 IT and security practitioners in the U.S., revealed that 42 percent of respondents said their executives and board members had been targeted at least once by a fake image or video. Additionally, 66 percent of respondents said it is highly likely that a future deepfake will target their executives, while 53 percent said technologies that enable executives to verify the identity and authentication of messages they receive are highly important. 

Furthermore, consulting firm Deloitte’s Center for Financial Services predicts that generative AI could enable fraud losses to reach $40 billion in the U.S. by 2027, representing a significantly pressing threat to individuals and corporations.

“The deepfake threat is real. And it’s costing businesses huge sums of money,” said Dr. Chris Pierson, Founder and CEO of BlackCloak. “Unfortunately, the cybersecurity industry to date has been unable to provide the necessary tools to detect and stop deepfakes targeting executives, as systems typically must be placed between the attacker and the target to analyze content. Because it’s impossible to monitor every communication channel within an organization, attackers target less protected avenues, like an executive’s personal phone or email.

“Our solution allows the recipient of a suspicious communication of any type to send an identity verification request directly to the sender using BlackCloak as their trusted intermediary,” said Matt Covington, Vice President of Product for BlackCloak. “This approach is the most effective way to find and stop such malicious content from causing significant financial damage. We’re excited to launch this critical solution as part of our expanding digital executive protection offering.”

BlackCloak Stops Fraud in its Tracks 

BlackCloak’s new Identity Verification feature targets phishing campaigns, such as deepfakes, by allowing the user to prompt the sender to validate that they are who they claim to be through the BlackCloak mobile app. The new feature can combat the impact of deepfakes containing the following attributes:

  • Synthetic Media: Created using artificial intelligence, particularly “deep learning” techniques, to generate realistic but fake audio, video, or images. 
  • Facial Manipulation: The ability to swap or mimic a target individual’s facial features, expressions, and movements with high accuracy.
  • Voice Cloning: Replicates the tone, pitch, and style of a person’s voice, often combined with text-to-speech technology.
  • Behavioral Mimicry: Imitates the target individual’s body language, gestures, and speaking style.

BlackCloak offers a comprehensive platform and services to safeguard executives and their families from online threats across every facet of their connected worlds — from smart devices and online accounts to home networks. Services include data broker removal, sophisticated privacy protections, and monitoring and safeguarding their devices, home networks, and smart home technology. Its bespoke solutions and around-the-clock expert care deliver peace of mind to clients in knowing their family, identity, reputation, and finances are secured. 

To find out more about BlackCloak’s Identity Verification feature, visit https://blackcloak.io/identity-verification/. 

 

About BlackCloak

BlackCloak protects corporate executives and high-profile individuals from cybersecurity, privacy, financial, and other reputational risks. Used by Fortune 500 companies across all industries, the BlackCloak Concierge Cybersecurity & Privacy™ Platform is a holistic solution that includes mobile and desktop apps and concierge support. Executives and high-profile individuals gain complete peace of mind knowing their family, reputation, and finances are secured. Companies rest assured that their brand, intellectual property, data, and finances are protected against threats from executives without invading their personal lives. Learn more at www.blackcloak.io and follow us on LinkedIn.

 

Media Contact:

Mike Sias

[email protected] 

 

Tracey Moon

CMO

[email protected]