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Leading up to Taiwan's crucial January election, there has been a surge in deceptive tactics aimed at influencing public opinion.
These include falsifying political endorsements, using memes to provoke outrage over Japan's nuclear wastewater disposal, and spreading conspiracy theories linking the U.S. government to disasters like Hawaii's wildfire and Kentucky's train derailment.
A recent report by Microsoft Threat Intelligence sheds light on China's increasing use of artificial intelligence (AI) to spread disinformation and discord globally over the past seven months.
The report reveals a shift in strategy for state-backed actors, who are not only targeting familiar adversaries but also employing more sophisticated influence tactics. Chinese actors are exploring new media channels and enhancing their use of AI to create and disseminate content.
A notable example cited in the report is the increase in content featuring Taiwanese political figures ahead of the January 13 elections.
This included an AI-generated audio recording falsely attributing an endorsement to a prominent figure.
According to Microsoft Threat Intelligence, this marks the first instance of a nation-state actor using AI-generated content to influence a foreign election.
Beyond Taiwan, China's influence operations have extended to other regions.
Last August, a group linked to the Chinese Communist Party launched a large-scale messaging campaign using AI-generated memes to amplify Chinese propaganda and incite international outrage.
The report also highlights instances of spreading conspiracy narratives to undermine trust in the U.S. government, such as falsely attributing wildfires to military actions and suggesting government involvement in a train derailment.
In addition to influence operations, Chinese cyber actors have been targeting critical networks of adversaries.
They have infiltrated telecommunication entities in the South China Sea during U.S. military drills and have been implicated in cyberattacks on U.S. infrastructure, including water treatment plants and energy pipelines.
Despite these efforts, Microsoft notes that there is limited evidence of their success in swaying public opinion. However, the increasing sophistication of China's tactics, especially in augmenting memes, videos, and audio, suggests that these operations may become more effective in the future.
The report also highlights North Korea's involvement in cyber activities, including looting cryptocurrency and using AI tools to enhance its operations. North Korea has continued targeting aerospace and defense organizations in the U.S.
and South Korea, as well as government officials and think tank experts, for intelligence collection.
In response to these threats, FBI director Christopher Wray has warned about Chinese hackers targeting critical U.S. infrastructure. Meanwhile, the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency has confirmed compromises in such infrastructure by Chinese state-sponsored cyber groups.
Microsoft, in response to criticisms over its security measures, has pledged to enhance its network security against cyber threats.