An AI-powered impersonation of Secretary of State Marco Rubio has raised alarm at the U.S. State Department after attempts were made to deceive several high-ranking officials.
What Happened: An unknown actor used artificial intelligence to impersonate Rubio, creating a Signal account under the name "marco.rubio@state.gov," reported CNN, citing a cable.
The impersonator contacted at least five individuals, including three foreign ministers, a U.S. governor and a member of Congress, aiming to gain "access to information or accounts."
The cable warned U.S. diplomats globally of "two distinct campaigns" in which cyber actors were posing as State Department officials using email and messaging apps.
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"The actor likely aimed to manipulate targeted individuals using AI-generated text and voice messages," the cable noted.
The State Department confirmed awareness of the incident and said it is investigating.
"The department takes seriously its responsibility to safeguard its information and continuously takes steps to improve the department's cybersecurity posture to prevent future incidents," a spokesperson said Tuesday.
Why It's Important: This AI-driven impersonation comes amid rising cyber threats linked to foreign adversaries. The cable also detailed a second Russia-linked campaign that involved phishing attempts targeting Gmail accounts of scholars, activists and journalists.
Cybersecurity researchers, including Alphabet Inc.'s (NASDAQ:GOOG) (NASDAQ:GOOGL) Google's Threat Intelligence Group and the University of Toronto's Citizen Lab, say these targeted operations reflect growing sophistication by state-linked hackers like Russia's APT29.
The FBI is investigating related incidents, including past impersonations of other senior U.S. officials. The State Department advised external partners to report any impersonation attempts to the FBI's Internet Crime Complaint Center, the report said.
Last year, an AI-generated voice impersonating former President Joe Biden was used in a robocall that told New Hampshire voters not to cast their ballots in the state's primary election.
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Photo Courtesy: Maxim Elramsisy on Shutterstock.com
Disclaimer: This content was partially produced with the help of AI tools and was reviewed and published by Benzinga editors.
