Microsoft: Iran is stepping up cyber efforts to influence US elections

2024-08-09 22:26:00, Kosova & Bota CNA

Microsoft: Iran is stepping up cyber efforts to influence US elections

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Iran is intensifying cyber activity aimed at influencing the US election and in one case targeted the email systems of presidential campaign officials, Microsoft said on Friday.

Iranian hackers have also worked in recent months to create fake news websites impersonating activists to lay the groundwork to foment divisions and influence American voters in the fall, particularly in swing states. of the presidential elections, announced the American technology giant.

Microsoft's report provides more detail than U.S. intelligence officials have so far provided, giving specific examples of Iranian groups and the actions they have taken so far. Iran's mission to the UN denied that Tehran had plans for cyber interference in the presidential election in the United States. The report did not specify Iran's goals beyond sowing chaos in the United States, although US officials have previously hinted that Iran is particularly opposed to former President Donald Trump. US officials have also expressed alarm over Tehran's efforts to seek revenge for a US strike ordered by former President Trump in 2020 that killed a senior Iranian general. This week, the Justice Department filed criminal charges against a Pakistani man with ties to Iran who allegedly masterminded assassination plots targeting multiple US officials, including Mr Trump.

The report also reveals how Russia and China are exploiting political polarization in the United States to spread their divisive messages in this important election year.

Microsoft's report identifies four examples of recent Iranian activity that the company expects to increase as the November elections approach.

First, a group linked to Iran's Revolutionary Guard in June targeted a high-ranking official on a presidential campaign team through a cyber attack on his email, a form of attack often used to gather classified information, according to the report, which did not identify which candidate it was. The group hid the origin of the email by sending it from the hacked email account of a former senior adviser, Microsoft said.

Days later, the Iranian group tried to access an account belonging to a former presidential candidate, but was unsuccessful, the Microsoft report said.

In another case, an Iranian group created websites posing as news sites based in the United States to target voters on opposite sides of the political spectrum, the report said.

A fake news site designed to appeal to left-leaning voters insults Mr Trump, calling him "crazy" and suggesting he uses drugs, the report said. Another site aimed at attracting Republican voters focuses on LGBTQ community issues and gender reassignment surgeries.

A third example cited by Microsoft found Iranian groups impersonating American activists, potentially laying the groundwork for influence operations closer to the election.

In the latest example, another Iranian group in May compromised an account owned by a government employee in an election-critical state, the report said. It is not clear whether this cyber attack was related to the election interference efforts.

The Microsoft report states that while Iran is intensifying its cyber efforts to influence the US election, Russia-linked groups are also trying to find ways to influence the November election. Groups affiliated with the Chinese Communist Party have used pro-Palestinian protests at American universities and other events to try to further heighten political tensions in the United States.

Microsoft said it continued to monitor how hostile countries are using artificial intelligence technology. The increasingly low-cost technology that can be used to create images and videos has raised concerns among some experts that it could be used to deceive American voters this election cycle.