Research by Microsoft Threat Analysis Center (MTAC) has observed Russian threat actors involved in campaigns aimed at the 2024 US presidential election.
The report states that activity seeking to influence the US election from malign threat actors has increased over the last six months beginning with Russian operations.
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The activity has evolved in other regions such as China and largely in Iran.
The report has identified three key actors in Russian interference – Ruza Flood (a.k.a. Doppelganger2), Storm-1841 (a.k.a. Rybar), and Storm-1516 – the latter aims to amplify disinformation via inauthentic news sites.
Each threat actor has had influence over US elections with Storm-1516 being the most prolific in creating fake news and public panic.
Fake claims orchestrated by Storm-1516 include that the US Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) directed a Ukrainian troll farm to disrupt the upcoming US election, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) wiretapped former US President Donald Trump’s residence, and Ukrainian soldiers burned an effigy of Trump.
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By GlobalDataIn April this year the online entity shifted its focus from relations in Ukraine to the US election with video forgeries and sham whistleblowers invented to spread false information online.
The MTAC predicts that the US election will remain threat actors’ top priority as November approaches.
Threat actors associated with Russian military blogging collective Rybar/Storm-1841 have also targeted the US in the form of immigration issues.
In early 2024 the entity created Telegram and X accounts – posts feature: “inflammatory news updates, invoke racial dog whistles, and call for mobilization and violence” according to the MTAC report.
Videos by Rybar that sparked online interest include a 30 second AI-generated clip depicting a horde of immigrant zombies amassing on the southern US border.
The final actor identified Ruza Flood has continued its amplification of pro-Kremlin narratives says the report, but Microsoft has not identified the distribution of significant US election content since its last report in July.
