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Foreign ministers

AI-Generated Impersonation Threats Target State Department, Foreign Leaders

Strategic Insights

— 2 min read

A US diplomatic cable has revealed that artificial intelligence (AI) is being used to impersonate senior officials, including Secretary of State Marco Rubio, as part of a broader campaign to gain access to information or accounts. This effort is one of two distinct campaigns being tracked by the State Department, in which threat actors impersonate Department personnel via email and commercial messaging apps to target individuals' personal accounts. The unknown actor posing as Rubio created an account on the messaging platform Signal and left voicemails and sent text messages to at least two targeted individuals, likely aiming to manipulate them using AI-generated text and voice messages.

Key Takeaways:

  • A US diplomatic cable has warned diplomats worldwide about AI-generated impersonation threats targeting State Department officials and foreign leaders.
  • The impersonation of Secretary of State Marco Rubio is one of two distinct campaigns being tracked by the State Department, which involves impersonating Department personnel via email and commercial messaging apps.
  • The unknown actor posing as Rubio created an account on the messaging platform Signal and left voicemails and sent text messages to at least two targeted individuals.
  • The effort is likely to manipulate targeted individuals using AI-generated text and voice messages, with the goal of gaining access to information or accounts.
  • The campaign resembles investigated past activity to impersonate senior US officials, which was under FBI investigation.
  • The State Department has advised its personnel to report impersonation attempts to diplomatic security.
  • A US government spokesperson confirmed the agency is aware of the incident and is currently investigating the matter.
  • The FBI declined to comment on the investigation.

Statistics:

  • At least five people, including three foreign ministers, a US governor, and a member of Congress, were contacted by the impersonator.
  • The impersonation effort began in mid-June, with the actor creating an account on the messaging platform Signal.
  • The impersonator left voicemails on Signal for at least two targeted individuals and sent a text message to one individual.
  • The FBI's Internet Crime Complaint Center is accepting reports of Rubio impersonations from external partners.
  • The State Department has not released further details on the investigation, citing security reasons and an ongoing investigation.

Sources:

  • CNN — (CNN) — Someone using artificial intelligence to impersonate Secretary of State Marco Rubio contacted at least five people, including three foreign ministers, a US governor, and a member of Congress, "with the goal of gaining access to information or accounts," a US diplomatic cable said.
  • The Washington Post — (The Washington Post) — A US diplomatic cable has revealed that artificial intelligence (AI) is being used to impersonate senior officials, including Secretary of State Marco Rubio.
  • The FBI — (The FBI) — The FBI's Internet Crime Complaint Center is accepting reports of Rubio impersonations from external partners.
  • Google Threat Intelligence Group — (Google Threat Intelligence Group) — Google suspects the hackers have ties to an elite group called APT29, which US officials say works at the behest of Russia's SVR intelligence agency.

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