Harris-Walz campaign targeted by Russian influence operations

CyberScoop reports that Russia has already begun refocusing its election interference efforts on the campaigns of Vice President Kamala Harris and running mate Minnesota Governor Tim Walz, starting in late August.

Influence actions by Russian threat groups Storm-1516 and Storm-1679, which previously targeted the Paris Olympics, included the distribution of fake videos — one of which showed alleged Harris supporters attacking a Trump rally attendee and another showing a fake billboard in New York City with fraudulent claims about Harris’ policies — on X, formerly Twitter, as well as a San Francisco-based hoax news site, according to a report from the Microsoft Threat Analysis Center.

The Ruza Flood operation has undertaken similar activities, the report said, noting increasing Russian interference as the election approaches.

Such a development comes weeks after the U.S. aggressively cracked down on foreign influence efforts against the presidential election with sanctions and domain seizures. “However, we’ve also seen actors attempt to create new infrastructure, with one threat actor already moving media outlets from seized sites to new ones,” said Clint Watts, general manager of the Microsoft Threat Analysis Center.