Face value: What it takes to fool facial recognition

ESET security researcher Jake Moore has demonstrated critical vulnerabilities in widely-used facial recognition systems by successfully bypassing them using smart glasses, deepfakes, and face swaps at RSAC 2026. This research highlights significant weaknesses in biometric authentication mechanisms, showing that facial recognition alone is insufficient as a security control. Organizations relying on facial recognition should implement multi-factor authentication, combine biometrics with additional verification methods, and maintain awareness of evolving bypass techniques. While this was a controlled demonstration, the techniques could be adapted by malicious actors for unauthorized access to secured systems.

ESET’s Jake Moore used smart glasses, deepfakes and face swaps to ‘hack’ widely-used facial recognition systems – and he'll demo it all at RSAC 2026

ESET security researcher Jake Moore has demonstrated critical vulnerabilities in widely-used facial recognition systems by successfully bypassing them using smart glasses, deepfakes, and face swaps at RSAC 2026. This research highlights significant weaknesses in biometric authentication mechanisms, showing that facial recognition alone is insufficient as a security control. Organizations relying on facial recognition should implement multi-factor authentication, combine biometrics with additional verification methods, and maintain awareness of evolving bypass techniques. While this was a controlled demonstration, the techniques could be adapted by malicious actors for unauthorized access to secured systems. ESET’s Jake Moore used smart glasses, deepfakes and face swaps to ‘hack’ widely-used facial recognition systems – and he'll demo it all at RSAC 2026 ESET’s Jake Moore used smart glasses, deepfakes and face swaps to ‘hack’ widely-used facial recognition systems – and he'll demo it all at RSAC 2026