NEW YORK (AP) — Foreign adversaries have shown persistent intent to influence the U.S. election, and there are signs that their activity will intensify as Election Day approaches, Microsoft said in a report Wednesday. .
Russian agents have increased the creation of fake videos to smear Vice President Kamala Harris’ campaign team, while social media campaigns linked to China are smearing candidates who criticize that country, the Center for Analysis said Wednesday. of Microsoft Threats.
Meanwhile, Iranian operators who allegedly sent emails intended to intimidate American voters in 2020 have been combing election-related websites and mainstream media outlets, intensifying suspicions that they may be preparing another attack this year. , warned the technology giant.
The report serves as a warning – based on other reports from US intelligence agencies – that as the country approaches the final stretch of the election campaign and begins to count the ballots, the worst attempts at interference could be yet to come. . U.S. officials remain confident that election infrastructure is secure enough to withstand any attack by foreign adversaries. Still, in such a close race, foreign efforts to influence voters raise concerns.
Microsoft noted that some of the disinformation campaigns it tracks did not generate much reaction from the American public, but others have been amplified by people who fell for the trap, exposing thousands of people to foreign propaganda during the final stretch of the election campaign. .
Russia, China and Iran have rejected all allegations that they intend to meddle in the US elections.
“Presidential elections are internal affairs of the United States. “China has no intention of interfering in the US elections, nor will it,” the Chinese embassy said in a statement.
“As has been stated unequivocally and repeatedly, Iran has no motive or intention to interfere in the US elections. And, therefore, it categorically repudiates such accusations,” read a statement from the Iranian mission to the United Nations.
The Russian embassy had not yet responded to a request for comment on Wednesday.
The report reveals a widening picture of coordinated campaigns to promote the priorities of America’s adversaries, as world wars and economic concerns raise the global stakes in American elections. It details a trend also seen in the 2016 and 2020 elections of foreign operators covertly fomenting discord among American voters, fomenting a split in the electorate that has left the nation divided into two nearly equal camps just 13 days away. the voting concludes.
“History has shown that the ability of foreign operators to rapidly distribute misleading content can have a significant impact on public perception and election outcomes,” said Clint Watts, general manager of Microsoft’s Threat Analysis Center, in a statement. press release. “Voters, government institutions, candidates and parties should remain vigilant about misleading and suspicious online activity, especially in the 48 hours before and after Election Day.”
The report adds to previous findings from Microsoft and US intelligence that suggest the Russian government is determined to discredit Harris online, evidencing its preference for Donald Trump.
Microsoft analysts have found that Russian operators have spent the past few months posting AI-generated content, as well as rudimentary deepfakes and doctored videos to spread disinformation about Harris.
The fake videos included a man impersonating a ranger claiming that Harris had killed an endangered rhino in Zambia, as well as a video spreading unfounded accusations about his running mate, Tim Walz, which US intelligence services also attributed to Russian operators this week. Morgan Finkelstein, national security spokeswoman for the Harris campaign, condemned Russia’s attempts.
The report claims that another Russian agent has been producing fake election-related videos in which he imitates American organizations, from Fox News to the FBI to Wired magazine.
In recent months, China has focused on low-profile elections and, more broadly, sowing distrust and discontent with democracy. According to Microsoft analysts, a Chinese agent widely known as Spamouflage has been using fake social media handles to attack Republicans who have publicly denounced China.
According to the report, the targeted candidates include Rep. Barry Moore of Alabama, Sen. Marsha Blackburn of Tennessee, and Rep. Michael McCaul of Texas, all of whom are up for re-election, according to the report. Senator Marco Rubio of Florida has also been the target of attacks.
The four politicians sent email statements condemning China’s aggression against American political candidates and its efforts to weaken democracy.
In its statement, the Chinese embassy states that American officials, politicians and media outlets “have accused China of using news websites and social media accounts to spread so-called disinformation in the United States. “Such accusations are full of malicious speculation against China, which China firmly opposes.”
Iran, which throughout the 2024 campaign has spread false information about Trump and hacked the former president’s campaign, has not stopped its activities due to continued tensions in the Middle East, the Microsoft report says.
On the contrary, analysts found that Iran-linked groups have weaponized divided opinions on the war between Israel and Hamas to influence American voters. For example, an operator linked to Iran used Telegram and X to ask Americans not to participate in the elections because the candidates supported Israel.
The Microsoft report also notes that an Iranian group compromised the account of a top Republican politician who had suffered another cyberattack in June. The company did not want to release the name of the individual, but said it was the same person it had referred to in August as “a former presidential candidate.”
The report also warned that the same Iranian group that allegedly posed as members of the far-right Proud Boys in intimidating emails to voters in 2020 has been exploring election-related websites and media outlets in the most battleground states in the last few months. This behavior would “hint at preparations to carry out more direct attempts at interference as election day approaches,” Watts said.
The Iranian mission to the United Nations said in a statement that the report’s allegations “are fundamentally unfounded and totally inadmissible.”
Even as Russia, China and Iran attempt to influence voters, U.S. intelligence services said Tuesday that there is no indication they are planning significant attacks on election infrastructure to alter the results.
If they tried, improvements in election security mean there is no way they could alter the results, Jen Easterly, director of the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), told The Associated Press. this month.
Intelligence officials also warned Tuesday that Russia and Iran could try to encourage violent protests in the United States after next month’s election, setting the stage for possible complications in the post-election period.
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