Iran Accelerating online activism aimed at creating influence US ElectionsMicrosoft said on Friday that an email phishing attack had been targeted at the presidential campaign.
Iranian activists have in recent months set up fake news sites and posed as activists to stok division. Could influence American voters? The tech giant saw a surge in support this fall, especially in battleground states.
According to findings from Microsoft’s latest Threat Intelligence Report: Active in the recent US elections, Iran is evolving its strategy for the upcoming elections that could have global implications. The report goes a step further than what US intelligence has uncovered, listing specific examples of Iranian groups and actions they have taken so far. Iran’s UN mission has denied that it had plans to interfere in the US presidential elections or launch cyber attacks.
The report did not specify Iran’s intentions beyond sowing unrest in the United States, but U.S. officials have previously suggested that Iran was specifically opposed to former President Donald Trump. U.S. officials have also expressed concern that Iran is seeking retaliation against the United States. Attack on Iranian General in 2020 This week, the Department of Justice unsealed criminal charges against a Pakistani man with ties to Iran. Planned assassination of multiple government officialsThat could include Trump.
The report also finds that Russia and China are exploiting political polarization in the United States to push their own divisive messaging in a crucial election year.
Microsoft’s report identified four recent examples of Iranian activity that the company expects to increase as the November election approaches.
First, a group linked to the Iranian Revolutionary Guard targeted senior U.S. presidential campaign officials in June using phishing emails, a type of cyber attack commonly used to harvest sensitive information, though it was not disclosed which campaign was targeted. The group sent the emails from the hacked email account of a former senior adviser to conceal the origin of the emails, Microsoft said.
A few days later, the Iranian group tried unsuccessfully to log into the former presidential candidate’s accounts, Microsoft reported, and the company notified those who had been targeted.
In another example, Iranian groups are creating websites posing as U.S.-based news sites to target voters on the political opposition, the report said.
One fake news site targeted at left-leaning readers insults Trump, calling him “crazy” and suggesting he uses drugs, the report said, while another site aimed at appealing to a Republican readership focuses on LGBTQ issues and gender reassignment surgery.
A third example cited by Microsoft found that Iranian groups were posing as US activists and potentially laying the groundwork for influence operations as the election drew near.
Finally, another Iranian-backed group compromised the accounts of government officials in battleground states in May, the report said. It is unclear whether that cyberattack is related to election interference efforts.
Iran’s UN mission sent a statement in an email to The Associated Press: “Iran has been the victim of numerous offensive cyber operations targeting its infrastructure, public service centers and industries. Iran’s cyber capabilities are defensive and commensurate with the threats it faces. Iran has no intention or plans to launch cyber attacks. The U.S. presidential elections are an internal matter in which Iran will not interfere.”
As Iran strengthens its cyber influence, Russian-linked actors have also shifted their influence efforts to focus on the U.S. presidential election, while Chinese Communist Party-linked actors are seeking to capitalize on pro-Palestinian university protests and other current events in the U.S. to escalate political tensions in the United States, according to the Microsoft report.
Microsoft said it continues to monitor how foreign adversaries are operating. Using generative AI techniquesThe increasingly cheap and readily available tools can create realistic fake images, photos and videos within seconds, leading some experts to worry they could be weaponized. Misleading voters This election cycle.
Many countries are experimenting with using AI in influence operations, but so far these efforts have not been very effective, the report said, leading some actors to “return to techniques that have proven effective in the past: simple digital manipulation, misidentification of content, and the use of trusted labels and logos on top of disinformation.”
The Microsoft report echoes recent warnings from U.S. intelligence officials that America’s adversaries appear determined to spread false and inflammatory claims on the internet ahead of the November vote.
Senior intelligence officials said last month that Russia remains the biggest threat when it comes to election disinformation, while there are signs that Iran is expanding its efforts and China is proceeding cautiously ahead of 2024.
Iran’s efforts appear aimed at undermining a candidate seen as likely to increase tensions with Tehran. OfficialsThat’s a description that applies to the Trump administration. Ended the nuclear deal with Iranreimpose sanctions, The murder of a top Iranian commander.
This influence effort coincides with a US military buildup against Iran and Israel. Strongly supportive.
Director of National Intelligence Avril Haines said last month that the Iranian government Secretly supported the American protests Iran-linked groups pose as online activists in Israel’s war with Hamas in the Gaza Strip. protest Haynes said he has provided financial support to some protest groups.
America’s adversaries, especially Iran, have a long history of trying to influence American elections. In 2020, Iran-related groups Intelligence officials said Trump sent emails to Democratic supporters in an attempt to influence their votes.
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Associated Press writers David Klepper and Eric Tucker in Washington contributed to this report.
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