Russian threat groups shift attention to Harris-Walz campaign, researchers find | CyberScoop<\/title> <meta name=\"description\" content=\"Microsoft said it took some time for Kremlin-affiliated organizations to turn their focus to the revised Democratic presidential ticket.\"> <link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/cyberscoop.com\/russian-threat-groups-shift-attention-to-harris-walz-campaign-researchers-find\/\"> <meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\"> <meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\"> <meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Russian threat groups shift attention to Harris-Walz campaign, researchers find\"> <meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Microsoft said it took some time for Kremlin-affiliated organizations to turn their focus to the revised Democratic presidential ticket.\"> <meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/cyberscoop.com\/russian-threat-groups-shift-attention-to-harris-walz-campaign-researchers-find\/\"> <meta property=\"og:site_name\" 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ad--top-mobile\">\n<div class=\"ad__inner\"> <span class=\"screen-reader-text\">Advertisement<\/span> <\/div>\n<\/div>\n<section id=\"stickybar\" class=\"stickybar stickybar--event js-stickybar\">\n<div class=\"stickybar__details\" readability=\"4.952380952381\">\n<div class=\"stickybar__info js-sticky-bar-content\" readability=\"32\">\n<p>Voting is open for the 2024 CyberScoop 50 awards! <\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p> <a class=\"stickybar__link button button-tertiary\" href=\"https:\/\/cyberscoop.com\/cyberscoop50\/vote\/\">Click here!<\/a> <\/div>\n<p> <button class=\"stickybar__close js-stickybar-close\" aria-controls=\"stickybar\"> <svg class=\"icon icon--close\" width=\"21\" height=\"22\" viewBox=\"0 0 21 22\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"m.822.518-.805.805L9.695 11 .017 20.678l.805.805 9.678-9.678 9.677 9.678.806-.805L11.305 11l9.678-9.677-.806-.805-9.677 9.677L.822.518Z\" fill=\"currentColor\" \/><\/svg> <span class=\"visually-hidden\">Close<\/span> <\/button> <\/section>\n<article class=\"single-article content\">\n<div class=\"single-article__container js-single-article-content\">\n<header class=\"single-article__header \" readability=\"25.129310344828\">\n<div class=\"single-article__header-content\" readability=\"29.662921348315\">\n<ul class=\"single-article__eyebrow\">\n<li class=\"single-article__category\"> <a class=\"single-article__category-link\" href=\"https:\/\/cyberscoop.com\/news\/election-security\/\"> <span>Election Security<\/span> <\/a> <\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p> Microsoft said it took some time for Kremlin-affiliated organizations to turn their focus to the revised Democratic presidential ticket. <\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"single-article__cover-wrap\">\n<figure class=\"single-article__cover\"> <img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" fetchpriority=\"high\" width=\"640\" height=\"426\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ddi.mohflo.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/russian-threat-groups-shift-attention-to-harris-walz-campaign-researchers-find.jpg?resize=640%2C426&ssl=1\" class=\"single-article__cover-image wp-post-image\" alt decoding=\"async\" fetchpriority=\"high\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ddi.mohflo.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/russian-threat-groups-shift-attention-to-harris-walz-campaign-researchers-find-2.jpg 1920w, https:\/\/ddi.mohflo.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/russian-threat-groups-shift-attention-to-harris-walz-campaign-researchers-find-2.jpg?resize=300,200 300w, https:\/\/ddi.mohflo.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/russian-threat-groups-shift-attention-to-harris-walz-campaign-researchers-find-2.jpg?resize=768,512 768w, https:\/\/ddi.mohflo.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/russian-threat-groups-shift-attention-to-harris-walz-campaign-researchers-find-2.jpg?resize=1024,683 1024w, 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sizes=\"(max-width: 1013px) 100vw, 1013px\"><figcaption> Democratic presidential candidate, U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris and democratic vice presidential candidate Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz walk onstage for a campaign rally at the Fiserv Forum on Aug. 20 in Milwaukee. (Photo by Anna Moneymaker\/Getty Images) <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/header>\n<div class=\"single-article__content\">\n<div class=\"single-article__content-inner has-drop-cap\"> <html readability=\"36.08446866485\"><body readability=\"74.154779969651\"><\/p>\n<p>It took a little while for Russian influence operation peddlers to shift their attention from the Biden campaign to the Harris campaign, Microsoft said in a report published Tuesday, but now Kremlin-affiliated groups are ratcheting up fake videos about the Democratic presidential ticket.<\/p>\n<p>In late August and September, the Microsoft Threat Analysis Center observed two separate Russian groups pushing videos designed to discredit Vice President Kamala Harris in places like a fake San Francisco news website and on the social media platform X. <\/p>\n<p>The phony videos claimed Harris was involved in a fabricated hit-and-run accident, depicted an attack by alleged Harris supporters on a purported Trump rally attendee and showed a fake New York City billboard making false claims about Harris\u2019 policies.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe shift to focusing on the Harris-Walz campaign reflects a strategic move by Russian actors aimed at exploiting any perceived vulnerabilities in the new candidates,\u201d wrote Clint Watts, general manager of the Microsoft center.<\/p>\n<div class=\"ad ad--inline_1 \">\n<div class=\"ad__inner\"> <span class=\"screen-reader-text\">Advertisement<\/span> <\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>Chinese groups also got in on the act, Microsoft said, by reposting content from online influencers suggesting Democratic involvement in the July assassination attempt on Republican presidential nominee and former President Donald Trump.<\/p>\n<p>While Iran has garnered much of the attention of late over its U.S. election interference \u2014 the subject of <a href=\"https:\/\/cyberscoop.com\/microsoft-iran-makes-late-play-to-meddle-in-u-s-elections\/\">another recent Microsoft analysis<\/a> \u2014 Tuesday\u2019s report serves as the latest reminder that Russia, a mainstay of election meddling since 2016, isn\u2019t necessarily sitting on the sidelines in 2024.<\/p>\n<p>The Microsoft report follows <a href=\"https:\/\/cyberscoop.com\/doj-russia-interfering-us-elections-2024\/\">sweeping U.S. government action<\/a> earlier this month to combat an alleged Russian influence campaign targeting American voters. Both China and Russia routinely deny any cyberspace malfeasance. <\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe actions taken by the US government on September 4 mark an important and impactful step to protect against foreign influence targeting the upcoming US presidential election,\u201d Watts wrote, adding that Microsoft had suspended more than 20 email accounts associated with a newly sanctioned Russian government-funded nonprofit. \u201cHowever, we have also observed actors attempting to create new infrastructure, with one threat actor already having moved media outlets from seized websites to new ones.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Both Russian groups at the center of Microsoft\u2019s latest report, dubbed Storm-1516 and Storm-1679, initially struggled to shift to the Harris campaign, with one having previously focused on the French election and the 2024 Olympic Games, the company said. A third group, Ruza Flood, has also participated in the shift toward Harris, Microsoft said.<\/p>\n<div class=\"ad ad--inline_1 \">\n<div class=\"ad__inner\"> <span class=\"screen-reader-text\">Advertisement<\/span> <\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>One of the videos received more than 100,000 views within four hours of posting on X, according to Microsoft.<\/p>\n<p>Three consecutive presidential campaigns have seen simultaneous shifts from Russian groups in the last 90 days leading to the election. \u201cMTAC assesses this synchronization on themes and messages results from top-down direction from the top of the Kremlin,\u201d its report reads.<\/p>\n<p>A previous <a href=\"https:\/\/blogs.microsoft.com\/on-the-issues\/2024\/04\/17\/russia-us-election-interference-deepfakes-ai\/\">Microsoft report<\/a> about 2024 election interference focused on a campaign by Storm-1516 and others to undermine U.S. support for Ukraine.<\/p>\n<p><em>This story was updated Sept. 17, 2024 to correct the name of Storm-1516.<\/em><\/p>\n<p><\/body> <\/p>\n<footer class=\"single-article__footer\">\n<div class=\"author-card\" readability=\"7.7216117216117\">\n<div class=\"author-card__avatar\">\n<figure class=\"author-card__image-wrap\"> <img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"author-card__image\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ddi.mohflo.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/russian-threat-groups-shift-attention-to-harris-walz-campaign-researchers-find-1.jpg?w=640&ssl=1\" alt=\"Tim Starks\"> <\/figure>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"author-card__details\" readability=\"10.901098901099\">\n<h4 class=\"author-card__name\">Written by Tim Starks<\/h4>\n<p> Tim Starks is senior reporter at CyberScoop. His previous stops include working at The Washington Post, POLITICO and Congressional Quarterly. An Evansville, Ind. native, he’s covered cybersecurity since 2003. Email Tim here: <a href=\"mailto:tim.starks@cyberscoop.com\">tim.starks@cyberscoop.com<\/a>. <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"single-article__tags-container\">\n<h4 class=\"single-article__tags-title\">In This Story<\/h4>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/footer>\n<p> <\/html><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"single-article__ads js-single-article-sidebar\">\n<div class=\"ad ad--sidebar js-single-article-sidebar-5 ad--rightrail_1 \">\n<div class=\"ad__inner\"> <span class=\"screen-reader-text\">Advertisement<\/span> <\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"ad ad--sidebar js-single-article-sidebar-4 ad--rightrail_2 \">\n<div class=\"ad__inner\"> <span class=\"screen-reader-text\">Advertisement<\/span> <\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"ad ad--sidebar js-single-article-sidebar-3 ad--rightrail_3 \">\n<div class=\"ad__inner\"> <span class=\"screen-reader-text\">Advertisement<\/span> <\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/article>\n<div class=\"popular-stories popular-stories--single-post\">\n<div 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{"id":5323,"date":"2024-09-17T14:00:00","date_gmt":"2024-09-17T19:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/cyberscoop.com\/?p=81771"},"modified":"2024-09-17T14:00:00","modified_gmt":"2024-09-17T19:00:00","slug":"russian-threat-groups-shift-attention-to-harris-walz-campaign-researchers-find","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ddi.mohflo.net\/index.php\/2024\/09\/17\/russian-threat-groups-shift-attention-to-harris-walz-campaign-researchers-find\/","title":{"rendered":"Russian threat groups shift attention to Harris-Walz campaign, researchers find"},"content":{"rendered":"