Wed Sep 18 02:06:12 UTC 2024: ## Russia Targets Vice President Kamala Harris in Disinformation Campaign: Microsoft
**WASHINGTON D.C.** – Microsoft has revealed that Russian operatives are intensifying their disinformation campaign, specifically targeting Vice President Kamala Harris’s presidential bid with fabricated videos and online manipulation. The tech giant’s report comes amidst heightened concerns about foreign interference in the upcoming US election.
Two Kremlin-linked groups, Storm-1516 and Storm-1679, are behind these operations. Storm-1516 produced two misleading videos, one portraying Harris supporters attacking a Trump rally attendee and the other falsely claiming she was involved in a hit-and-run incident. These videos gained millions of views.
The second group, Storm-1679, shifted its focus from the 2024 Paris Olympics to discredit Harris and her running mate, Tim Walz.
Microsoft’s Clint Watts, general manager of the Threat Analysis Center, stated that these attacks highlight Russian actors’ strategy to exploit vulnerabilities in political campaigns.
“As we approach the election, we expect Russian actors to continue using cyber proxies and hacktivist groups to amplify their divisive messages through media websites and social channels,” Watts warned.
These revelations follow recent actions by US authorities. The US government accused Russia’s state news agency RT of influencing the election earlier this month and sanctioned its top editors. Meta, a tech giant, also banned Russian state media outlets from its platforms worldwide due to their alleged foreign interference activities.
The Justice Department previously disrupted a Russian disinformation campaign that involved an AI-powered bot farm used to create fake profiles on social media. The campaign, financed by the Kremlin, aimed to spread discord in the US.
US officials have cautioned about interference efforts from other nations, including Iran, which is using fake news sites, hacking, and cyber attacks to influence the election.
This latest report emphasizes the ongoing threat posed by foreign actors seeking to manipulate the US political landscape. The Senate Intelligence Committee is scheduled to hold a hearing on foreign threats to the election on Wednesday.
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