The Rise of Deepfake Technology: Threats, Detection Methods, and Ethical Concerns in Cybersecurity

. The rapid evolution of deepfake technology, which uses artificial intelligence to fabricate realistic media content, presents a growing threat to cybersecurity and digital integrity. This paper examines the origin and development of deepfakes, analysing their impact through recent high-profile cases, including the manipulated video of Indian actress Rashmika Mandanna. The incident sparked national debate on privacy and digital consent. Alongside this, we explore how AI-generated content such as th e viral “Studio Ghibli - style” trends flooding social media, crafted using tools like ChatGPT and image generators, reflect a growing normalization of synthetic content. The research reviews current detection mechanisms ranging from forensic media analysis to advanced AI classifiers and evaluates the ethical, legal, and technological challenges posed by deepfake proliferation. We argue that although advancements in detection methods offer hope, the pace of deepfake sophistication demands continuous innovation, stronger legislation, and public awareness to safeguard against potential misuse.