What’s going on

Microsoft has observed rapid growth in online campaigns in Russia over the last 45 days. So far this is happening at a slower pace than in recent elections. But we can already say that the process has begun, and these are not isolated cases, but a purposeful and long-term plan.

Analysts at the tech giant say Russia-linked accounts are spreading divisive content among American audiences. among others Russian bots criticized America’s support for Ukraine.

Although the Russian activity observed by Microsoft is not as intense as in previous elections, it is likely to increase in the near future.

Messages about Ukraine through traditional and social media have gained momentum over the past two months, thanks to a mix of covert and overt campaigns by at least 70 Russia-linked groups we track.
-Noted at Microsoft.

Analysts added that the most productive of such Russian campaigns relate to the management of the Russian President.

Another campaign aims to publish disinformation online in various languages; Posts often begin when a whistleblower or independent journalist posts content to a video channel. This content is then shared by a network of sites including DC Weekly, Miami Chronical, and The Intel Drop.

“Eventually, after a narrative has circulated online for days or weeks, the American public repeats and reposts that misinformation, possibly without knowing its original source.”-Noted at Microsoft.

Hackers don’t sleep either

There is also a noticeable increase in hacking attacks by a Russian group that Microsoft follows under the names Star Blizzard and Cold River. These cybercriminals focus on attacks against Western think tanks. “Star Blizzard’s current focus on US politicians and political circles may be the first of a series of hacking campaigns aimed at achieving Kremlin results in November.” Microsoft says.

This time, artificial intelligence, which is called one of the most important problems, came to the Kremlin’s aid. Microsoft said it found that simple digital fakes are more common than deep fakes and that audio manipulation has a greater impact than video.

It is rare for nation states to use AI-generated content to gain significant traction on social media, and in only a few cases have we witnessed actual audience deception with such content.
– noted the researchers.

They add that the simplest manipulations, rather than the most complex applications of AI, will likely be the pieces of content that have the biggest impact.

Russia refuses

The Russian embassy in Washington did not respond to a Reuters request for comment, but last month the Kremlin predictably said it would not interfere in this year’s US elections. He also denied accusations that he organized campaigns to influence the 2016 and 2020 US presidential elections.