iProov, HYPR join forces to combat AI-driven deepfakes

Biometric specialist iProov has entered a strategic partnership with identity security company HYPR in a move aimed at tightening workforce identity checks against AI-driven fraud and deepfakes.

The collaboration integrates iProov’s liveness detection technology with HYPR’s Affirm platform. The companies said the combined product focuses on blocking fraudulent workers, synthetic identities and deepfake-based imposters at the point of onboarding and during subsequent access to enterprise systems.

The integration uses OpenID Connect (OIDC) to link iProov’s liveness checks with HYPR’s passwordless authentication and identity assurance platform. The firms position this as an additional verification layer within zero-trust security models, which require continuous validation of users and devices.

Rising identity risk

Both companies framed the move against a backdrop of rising workforce identity fraud, including campaigns that use deepfakes and synthetic media to bypass remote hiring and access processes.

The announcement referenced a case that involved more than 300 US companies. North Korean operatives allegedly secured remote roles using falsified identities and generated an estimated USD $17 million for the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea regime, highlighting the financial and national security exposure for organisations.

HYPR said current threats increasingly focus on the initial identity proofing stage rather than only on stolen credentials or phishing. It said attackers now combine realistic fake documents, AI-generated likenesses and remote work models to infiltrate corporate networks as employees or contractors.

“The integrity of the workforce is under siege, and deepfakes are the new breach vector for nation-states and organized crime,” said Bojan Simic, CEO of HYPR. “This is a wake-up call: zero-trust access is only as strong as the initial identity proofing. By integrating iProov's certified liveness defense directly into the HYPR Affirm platform, we are delivering an immutable identity baseline that enables true zero-trust security from day one.”

Liveness at onboarding

iProov’s technology performs a liveness check during a biometric interaction, such as a face scan, to distinguish a live human from a recording or AI-generated image. The companies said this step now sits at the start of the HYPR Affirm onboarding workflow.

The approach places liveness verification as the first action when an individual registers for workforce access. The firms said this aims to prevent attackers from enrolling false identities or hijacking legitimate identities at the outset.

iProov said its liveness checks have been independently tested against the US government’s NIST Digital Identity Guidelines. It said this independent testing provides external assurance around performance, resilience and auditability of the checks used in onboarding.

Targeting fake workers

The companies set out several use cases for the joint offering, starting with prevention of fake worker onboarding. The liveness step is designed to confirm that a registering user is both the claimed individual and a real human, which aims to close off an initial attack vector for synthetic and deepfake-based identities.

They also highlighted account recovery and credential reset flows. These are widely seen as weak points in many identity systems because they often rely on email, SMS or knowledge-based checks. The integration inserts biometric liveness checks into these processes as an additional gate, with the goal of preventing attackers from taking over existing workforce accounts.

The firms said the integration supports real-time authentication during these checks. They said organisations receive an auditable record that onboarding and recovery steps passed a liveness test that met defined standards.

Compliance focus

Regulated sectors such as financial services, government and critical infrastructure face stricter scrutiny over workforce identity controls and supplier access. iProov said its multi-layer defence has undergone independent evaluation against regulatory and standards-based requirements, including the NIST framework.

This regulatory backdrop is driving interest in layered identity assurance that combines document verification, biometric checks and passwordless authentication, especially in remote or hybrid work environments where in-person verification is limited.

“Enterprises across all sectors are under attack and must take the necessary steps to secure themselves against this quickly evolving identity threat by prioritizing one of the single most critical points in the workforce lifecycle: the start,” said Andrew Bud, founder and CEO, iProov. “By combining iProov's liveness technology, which meets the rigorous standards of the US government's NIST Digital Identity Guidelines, with HYPR's unified Identity Assurance platform, we're empowering organizations to defend against sophisticated workforce onboarding fraud, including synthetic identities and deepfakes, providing a secure yet seamless user experience.”

HYPR and iProov said they expect demand from organisations that run distributed workforces, outsource roles or rely heavily on contractors and third parties. They said these groups face the most acute challenges in proving that remote workers and applicants are genuine individuals rather than state-backed or criminal imposters.

The partners plan further development of the combined product within the HYPR Affirm platform as they respond to new forms of AI-driven identity fraud.