Synthetic

Synthetic is a threat actor known for its use of Generative AI, which emulates the structure and characteristics of input data to generate derived synthetic content. This technology can be used to create artificial datasets that maintain the statistical properties of original data, with potential applications ranging from artificial intelligence to quantum computing or synthetic biology. However, Synthetic has demonstrated malicious intent by using this technology in harmful ways, such as creating ransomware and synthetic images. Recently, Synthetic has been implicated in serious cybercrimes, including the creation of AI-generated synthetic child pornography. A Quebec court judge sentenced a man to prison for using artificial intelligence to produce such content, highlighting the severe risks posed by misuse of this technology. It's estimated that around 10,000 UK businesses are at risk, particularly those operating in sectors where China is trying to gain dominance, such as artificial intelligence, quantum computing, and synthetic biology. In response to these threats, the Federal Acquisition Regulatory Council has been urged to incorporate the Department of Commerce's guidance on distinguishing synthetic content into procurement requirements. The Executive Order (EO) also tasks the Department of Commerce to develop guidelines for content authentication and watermarking techniques. These measures could facilitate the labeling of original content and potentially aid in detecting AI-generated synthetic content. This move towards identifying and marking AI-generated "synthetic content" may yield significant results in mitigating the risks posed by entities like Synthetic.