Iran targeting US elections using fake news, cyberattacks: Microsoft

Iran is using fake news and cyber attacks to target the 2024 elections, according to a new report from Microsoft launched Friday.

“In recent months, we have seen the emergence of significant influence activities by Iranian actors,” wrote the Microsoft Threat Analysis Center (MTAC). “Recent activity suggests that the Iranian regime – along with the Kremlin – may be equally involved in the 2024 elections.”

The report details that the Iranian regime posed as “American extremists” and posed as “American extremists” to sow division among the electorate and incite violence.

“Looking ahead, we expect Iranian actors to employ cyberattacks against institutions and candidates while intensifying their efforts to amplify existing divisive issues in the US, such as racial tensions, economic disparities and gender issues,” MTAC said.

MTAC described several covert news operations operated by the Iranian regime, including a website called Nio Thinker created in late October. The site originally posted about the war in Gaza, but has shifted its focus to the US elections in recent months. Its content is aimed at a liberal audience, according to MTAC’s assessment, and contains texts that insult former President Trump.

Another site focuses heavily on Republican issues, particularly gender issues, billing itself as a local newsroom and “trusted source of conservative news in the vibrant city of Savannah.”

In parallel with the news operations, groups led by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) launched cyberattacks against senior US officials. One such incident involving Mint Sandstorm, an operation by the IRGC’s intelligence unit, targeted a high-ranking official from a presidential campaign in June.

The attackers sent a spearphishing email using the compromised account of a former senior advisor, which would take the user to an Iranian-controlled domain before redirecting them to the correct website.

After the first attack, the same group attempted to log into an account belonging to a “former presidential candidate” on June 13.

“[T]Its segmentation is a reminder that senior policymakers must be aware of monitoring and following cybersecurity best practices, even for legacy or archived infrastructures, as they can be ripe targets for threat actors looking to gather intelligence, perform operations cyber-enabled influencers, or both,” MTAC added.

In a statement to the Associated Press, the Iranian UN mission denied involvement in the cyberattacks or interference.

“Iran has been the victim of numerous offensive cyber operations targeting its infrastructure, utility centers, and industries. Iran’s cyber capabilities are defensive and proportionate to the threats it faces. Iran has no intention or plans to launch attacks The US president, the election is an internal matter in which Iran does not interfere,” he wrote.

The alleged Iranian election attacks are accompanied by threats from Russia and China. China’s interference intentionally targeted left-wing messages about pro-Palestinian protests toward right-wing groups, which MTAC says was likely done to “stir up conflict” or “misunderstandings.”

This story originally appeared on thehill.com read the full story