Foreign adversaries have shown continued determination to influence the US election – and there are signs that activity will intensify as Election Day nears, Microsoft said in a report on Wednesday.
Russian operations doubled down on fake videos to smear Vice President Kamala Harris’ campaign, while a China-linked social media campaign undermined candidates critical of China, the company’s threat intelligence agency said Wednesday.
Meanwhile, an Iranian actor accused of sending emails to intimidate US voters in 2020 has been scrutinized by election-related websites and major media outlets, raising concerns he could be preparing for another scheme this year, the tech giant said.
The report is a warning – building on others from US intelligence officials – that once the country enters this critical final round and begins counting ballots, the worst possible influence attempts are yet to come. U.S. officials say they are confident the election infrastructure is secure enough to withstand attacks from America’s adversaries. However, in tight elections, foreign efforts to influence voters raise concerns.
Microsoft noted that some of the disinformation campaigns it tracked received no genuine engagement from US audiences, but others had been amplified by unwitting Americans, exposing thousands to foreign propaganda in the final weeks of the election.
Russia, China and Iran have all denied claims that they wanted to interfere in the US election.
“The presidential election is a domestic matter of the United States. China has no intention and will not interfere in the US election,” the Chinese Embassy said in a statement.
“After announcing emphatically 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 UN.
A message left with the Russian Embassy was not immediately returned Wednesday.
The report reveals a landscape of coordinated campaigns to amplify opponents’ priorities as global wars and economic concerns raise the stakes for US elections around the world. The details of the trend that also appeared in the election of foreign actors in 2016 and 2020 secretly caused discord among American voters, which increased the divide in the electorate that caused the country to close just 13 days before the end of the vote.
“History has shown that the ability of foreign actors to spread deceptive content can quickly affect public perception and election results,” said Clint Watts, general manager of the Microsoft Threat Analysis Center, in a press release. “With a special focus on the 48 hours before and after Election Day, voters, government institutions, candidates and parties must remain vigilant against fraudulent and suspicious online activity.”
The report adds to earlier findings from Microsoft and US intelligence that suggested the Kremlin had committed to spying on Harris’ character online, a sign of his preference for another Donald Trump presidency.
Russian actors have spent the past several months creating AI-generated content and more basic spoofs and videos spreading disinformation about Harris, Microsoft analysts have found.
Among the fake videos is a staged clip of a park ranger impersonator admitting Harris killed an endangered rhinoceros in Zambia, as well as a video showing allegations of walking couple Tim Walz, which US intelligence officials also attributed to Russia this week. Morgan Finkelstein, a national security spokesman for the Harris campaign, condemned the Russian effort.
Other Russian influence actors have produced fake election-related videos that have misled American organizations from Fox News to the FBI and Wired magazine, according to the report.
China in recent months has focused on election races, and public efforts to spread democratic distrust and discontent. A Chinese influence actor known as Spamouflage has used fake social media users to attack Republicans who have publicly blamed China, according to Microsoft analysts.
Targeted candidates include Rep. Barry Moore of Alabama, Sen. Marsha Blackburn of Tennessee, and Rep. Michael McCaul of Texas, are all running for re-election, the report said. The group has also attacked Senator Marco Rubio of Florida.
All four politicians sent email statements condemning China’s aggression against American political candidates and efforts to weaken democracy.
In its statement, the Chinese embassy said US officials, politicians and the media “have accused China of using news websites and social media accounts to spread so-called disinformation in the US. These accusations are full of malicious speculation against China, which China strongly opposes.”
Iran, which has spent the 2024 campaign following Trump with disinformation and also hacking the former president’s campaign, has not been bothered by tensions in the Middle East, according to a Microsoft report.
Conversely, groups with ties to Iran have divergent opinions on the Israel-Hamas War to influence American voters, analysts have found. For example, an Iranian-operated persona took to Telegram and X to urge Americans to get out of the election because of their candidates’ support for Israel.
The Microsoft report also said an Iranian group compromised the accounts of prominent Republican politicians who had different accounts targeted in June. The company would not name the individual but said the person is the same person it referred to in August as a “former presidential candidate.”
The report also warned that the same Iranian group alleged to be members of the far-right Proud Boys in a frightening email to voters in 2020 has been monitoring websites and media related to the country’s elections in recent months. That behavior could “suggest preparations for more direct influence operations as Election Day approaches,” Watts said.
Iran’s mission to the United Nations said in a statement that the allegations in the report were “baseless, and unacceptable.”
Even as Russia, China and Iran tried to influence voters, intelligence officials said Tuesday there was still no indication they were planning significant attacks on election infrastructure as a way to disrupt the results.
If they try, improving election security means there’s no way they can change the outcome, Jen Easterly, director of the US Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Agency, told The Associated Press earlier this month.
Intelligence officials on Tuesday also warned that Russia and Iran may try to encourage violent protests in the US after next month’s election, setting the stage for potential complications in the post-election period.
Published – 24 October 2024 10:09 IST