Microsoft report

Iran wants to influence US elections with disinformation

According to Microsoft, groups close to the Iranian leadership used fake portals to lay the foundations for influencing US voters.

(Bild: mirsad - stock.adobe.com)

According to Microsoft, Iran wants to influence the upcoming elections in the USA with fake news sites and cyber attacks. With the help of AI, groups from Iran have set up both left-wing and conservative-looking news sites, according to the company.

Microsoft thus confirmed warnings from numerous US representatives about foreign influence. With the fake portals, groups close to the Iranian leadership had laid the foundation for influencing voters on current election issues, explained Clint Watts, head of Microsoft's threat analysis department. Iran is aiming to "stir up controversy or influence voters, especially in swing states", which can be decisive in elections.

Creating chaos
According to the report, another group with links to Iran creates fake profiles of political activists. These could be used to incite violence against politicians, create chaos and cast doubt on the elections. According to the report, other groups gained access to the email traffic of a former election campaign advisor and the mailbox of a government employee.

Russian campaign exposed
According to the US Department of Justice, the authorities had already uncovered a Russian campaign in July that used an AI to create fake profiles on the online service X and spread false information there. According to the US, the campaign was financed by the Kremlin and supported by an employee of the Russian secret service FSB.