What happened

Susie Wiles’ personal mobile phone was hacked, leading to the compromise of her contact list. The attackers then used AI-generated voice-cloning and deepfake technology to impersonate Wiles, contacting her associates via phone calls and text messages that appeared to come from her. 

Some messages appeared to be politically motivated, such as requests for lists of individuals Trump might pardon, while others attempted financial fraud by trying to arrange cash transfers.

Why it happened

The attack was made possible by a combination of compromised personal devices, likely through social engineering or malware, and the widespread availability of advanced AI voice-cloning and deepfake tools. 

Attackers may have assembled target lists using data from Wiles’ phone, publicly available information, or gray-market brokers. 

The incident highlights vulnerabilities in security awareness and the use of personal devices for sensitive communications, as well as the increasing sophistication of social engineering tactics.