Iran apparently trying to influence US election against Trump, Microsoft says

Iran is ramping up online activity that appears to be aimed at influencing the U.S. election. In one case, a phishing attack targeted the presidential campaign, Microsoft said Friday.

Iranian actors have spent recent months creating fake news sites and impersonating activists in a bid to stoke division and potentially sway American voters this fall, especially in key battleground states, the tech giant has found.

The findings of Microsoft’s latest threat report show how Iran, which was active in the last US election, is evolving its tactics for the next election, which will likely have global implications. The report goes beyond anything that US intelligence officials have disclosed, providing specific examples of Iranian groups and actions they have taken so far. The UN mission in Iran has denied that it has plans to interfere or conduct cyberattacks in the US presidential election.

The report does not specify Iran’s intentions beyond sowing chaos in the United States, although U.S. officials have previously suggested that Iran is particularly opposed to former President Donald Trump. U.S. officials have also expressed concern about Tehran’s efforts to seek retaliation for a 2020 attack on an Iranian general that was ordered by Trump. This week, the Justice Department unveiled criminal charges against a Pakistani with ties to Iran who allegedly hatched assassination plans targeting multiple officials, potentially including Trump.

The report also reveals how Russia and China are exploiting political polarization in the U.S. to promote their own divisive messages in a crucial election year.

Microsoft’s report highlighted four examples of recent Iranian activity that the company predicts will intensify as the November elections approach.

First, a group linked to Iran’s Revolutionary Guard in June targeted a senior U.S. presidential campaign official with a phishing email, a form of cyberattack often used to gather sensitive information, according to the report, which did not identify which campaign was the target. The group disguised the origin of the email by sending it from a hacked email account of a former senior adviser, Microsoft said.

Days later, the Iranian group tried to log into an account belonging to the former presidential candidate, but was unsuccessful, according to a Microsoft report. The company notified those who were targeted.

In another example, an Iranian group created websites that imitated U.S. news outlets to target voters with opposing political views, the report said.

One fake news site, which is aimed at a left-wing audience, insults Trump by calling him a “rattling lunatic” and suggesting he takes drugs, the report said. Another site, which aims to attract Republican readers, focuses on LGBTQ issues and gender-affirming surgery.

A third example provided by Microsoft shows Iranian groups impersonating American activists, which could provide a basis for conducting an influence operation closer to the election.

Finally, in May, another Iranian group hacked into an account belonging to a government employee in the swing state, the report said. It was unclear whether that cyberattack was related to efforts to interfere in the election.

Iran’s mission to the United Nations sent an emailed statement 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 proportionate to the threats it faces. Iran has no intention or plans to conduct cyberattacks. The U.S. presidential election is a domestic matter in which Iran does not interfere.”

The Microsoft report found that, amid Iran’s escalating cyber influence, Russian-linked actors have also shifted their influence campaigns to focus on the U.S. election. Meanwhile, Chinese Communist Party-linked actors have exploited pro-Palestinian university protests and other current events in the U.S. to increase political tensions in the U.S.

Microsoft said it continues to monitor how foreign adversaries are using generative AI technology. The increasingly cheap and accessible tools can generate realistic fake images, photos and videos in seconds, raising concerns among some experts that they will be used as a weapon to mislead voters this election cycle.

While many countries have experimented with AI in their influence operations, the company found that those efforts have not had much of an impact so far. The report said that as a result, some actors have “returned to techniques that have proven effective in the past—simple digital manipulation, content mischaracterization, and the application of trusted labels or logos to fake news.”

Microsoft’s report follows recent warnings from U.S. intelligence officials that America’s adversaries appear determined to plant false and inflammatory accusations online ahead of the November election.

Top intelligence officials said last month that Russia continued to pose the biggest threat when it came to election disinformation, while there were indications that Iran was stepping up its efforts and China was treading cautiously as it looked to 2024.

Iran’s actions appear aimed at undermining candidates who are seen as more likely to escalate tensions with Tehran, the officials said. That’s a description that fits Trump, whose administration ended the Iran nuclear deal, reimposed sanctions and ordered the killing of a top Iranian general.

The moves to increase influence also coincide with a period of high tensions in relations between Iran and Israel, whose military the U.S. strongly supports.

Director of National Intelligence Avril Haines said last month that the Iranian government was covertly supporting U.S. protests against Israel’s war with Hamas in Gaza. Iran-linked groups posed as online activists, encouraged the protests and provided financial support to some protest groups, Haines said.

America’s enemies, including Iran, have a long history of trying to influence U.S. elections. In 2020, groups linked to Iran sent emails to Democratic voters in an apparent effort to influence their votes, intelligence officials said.

Originally published: August 10, 2024 at 7:04 PM