By Ann Marie van den Hurk, Mind The Gap Advisory
Boards increasingly understand cyber risk. Fewer understand synthetic media risk.
A manipulated CEO video or audio clip can:
Move markets
Trigger regulatory inquiry
Damage enterprise credibility
Undermine leadership stability
Boards should not ask, “Do we have a media plan?”
They should ask:
1. Who decides if the content is authentic or not?
Is this technical verification owned by Security?
Does Legal validate before public acknowledgment?
2. At what threshold do we notify regulators or stakeholders?
Is that trigger documented or discretionary?
3. What is our executive holding position while verification is underway?
Does language exist that protects credibility without overstatement?
4. Has leadership practiced this scenario?
Simulations reveal governance weakness faster than documentation reviews.
Deepfake CEO incidents expose authority gaps more than technology failures.
Boards should demand clarity in:
Escalation paths
Decision sequencing
Cross-functional authority integration
Executive posture under uncertainty
The CrisisOS5™ Tabletop Simulation is designed to stress-test precisely these gaps in a controlled environment.
Waiting for a real deepfake event to discover governance fragmentation is an unnecessary risk.
Ann Marie van den Hurk, MSc., APR is the founder of Mind The Gap Advisory and originator of the CrisisOS5™ Framework. She advises CISOs, General Counsel, Chief Risk Officers, and boards on decision authority and executive crisis readiness for the AI era. Based in Newport, Rhode Island — serving organizations in Providence, Boston, Portsmouth, Portland, and Hartford, and across New England, nationally, and globally. mindthegapcyber.com