Iran is increasing its internet activity that appears intended to influence November’s U.S. presidential election, according to a new report from Microsoft.
As part of the efforts, hackers with ties to the Iran government tried breaking into the account of a high-ranking official on a U.S. presidential campaign in June through a phishing email, the report said. The hackers already managed to breach the account of a county-level U.S. official in a swing state.
Microsoft expects Iranian actors to employ cyberattacks against institutions and candidates in the future, while also stepping up their efforts to amplify divisive issues within the U.S., like racial tensions, economic disparities, and gender-related issues. Microsoft said that Russia and China are also using U.S. political polarization to advance their own messaging.
“We share intelligence like this so voters, government institutions, candidates, parties, and others can be aware of influence campaigns and protect themselves from threats,” Clint Watts, general manager of the Microsoft Threat Analysis Center, said in a press release. “Our goal in releasing these reports is to underscore the importance of combating election deepfakes and promoting education and learning about possible foreign interference.”
The tech giant said that in recent weeks, groups with ties to the Iranian government have increased two kinds of online activity. First, Microsoft said, they’ve laid the groundwork for influence campaigns on trending election-related topics and have begun to start those campaigns, hoping to stir up controversy or sway voters. That includes creating fake news websites, filled with artificial intelligence-generated content, that target voter groups on opposing ends of the political spectrum.
Second, the groups have launched operations designed to gain intelligence on political campaigns in order to help influence elections in the future. That includes the phishing attempt, as well as another unsuccessful attempt to log into an account belonging to a former presidential candidate.
Ak chcete pridať komentár, prihláste sa
Ostatné príspevky v tejto skupine
Yahoo’s bet on creator-led content appears to be paying off. Yahoo Creators, the media company’s publishing platform for creators, had its most lucrative month yet in June.
Launched in M
From being the face of memestock mania to going viral for inadvertently stapling the screens of brand-new video game consoles, GameStop is no stranger to infamy.
Last month, during the m
The technology industry has always adored its improbably audacious goals and their associated buzzwords. Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg is among the most enamored. After all, the name “Meta” is the resi
Even as AI becomes a common workplace tool, its use in
Finding a job is hard right now. To cope, Gen Zers are documenting the reality of unemployment in 2025.
“You look sadder,” one TikTok po
Hiding your address, phone number, and other details is easier than you might think.
