Yazılar

AI Impersonator Posed as Marco Rubio, Contacted Foreign Ministers in Sophisticated Deception

/in /tarafından

An individual using AI-generated voice technology impersonated U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio in June, contacting at least three foreign ministers, two U.S. officials, a governor, and a member of Congress, according to a classified State Department cable seen by Reuters.

The impersonator reached out through the Signal messaging app, sending voice messages and at least one text inviting recipients to connect further. The AI-driven impersonation is suspected to be part of a broader attempt to extract information or access government accounts, the July 3 cable warned.

“The actor likely aimed to manipulate targeted individuals using AI-generated text and voice messages,” it stated.

The State Department has launched an investigation into the incident. A senior official, speaking anonymously, confirmed the government is taking steps to improve cybersecurity protocols and mitigate future threats. While no immediate cyber breach was reported, the department noted that if individuals engaged with the impersonator, sensitive information could have been compromised.

This follows a string of recent digital security incidents. In a separate situation, President Donald Trump’s former National Security Adviser Mike Waltz accidentally added a journalist to a Signal group chat, where classified discussions on military operations in Yemen were exposed.

The State Department is now instructing diplomatic and consular staff to warn external partners about impersonation tactics and fake accounts. While the cable didn’t disclose which foreign ministers were contacted, it linked this attempt to earlier AI-related phishing campaigns.

Russia Connection Suspected in Prior Campaign

The cable also referenced a April impersonation campaign attributed to a Russia-linked hacker, who mimicked a @state.gov email address and replicated branding from the Bureau of Diplomatic Technology. That campaign targeted think tanks, Eastern European activists, and former State Department officials, showing “extensive knowledge of internal naming conventions and documentation.”

That operation was publicly tied to the Russian Foreign Intelligence Service by cybersecurity experts.

FBI Confirms Broader AI Threat

In May, the FBI issued a warning about malicious actors using AI-generated voice and text messages to impersonate senior U.S. officials. These schemes aim to gain access to personal or professional accounts, and potentially to manipulate additional targets once access is gained.

While the FBI declined to comment on the Rubio impersonation, it has previously said such tactics can be used to elicit sensitive information or financial transfers under false pretenses.

The impersonation episode also follows recent reporting from the Wall Street Journal that White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles was also the subject of a similar impersonation attempt, now under federal investigation.

As AI-generated content becomes more convincing and accessible, national security experts warn that the threat of deepfake diplomacy and synthetic political manipulation is rapidly escalating.

FBI Warns AI-Generated Voices Used to Impersonate Senior U.S. Officials in Cyber Campaign

/in /tarafından

The FBI has issued a public warning that malicious actors are leveraging AI-generated voice messages and text to impersonate senior U.S. government officials, targeting both current and former federal and state officials in a sophisticated social engineering campaign.

According to the FBI’s announcement on Thursday, the aim of the scheme is to:

  • Gain access to personal accounts of government officials

  • Target additional contacts once access is gained

  • Harvest sensitive information or even solicit funds fraudulently

How the Scheme Works:

  • Attackers initiate text message conversations to build rapport with the targets.

  • Once trust is established, they urge the recipient to switch to another platform, often linking to a hacker-controlled website designed to harvest credentials like usernames and passwords.

  • In some cases, attackers use AI-generated voice clips to convincingly impersonate the tone and mannerisms of known officials.

Threat Scope:

The FBI has not disclosed how many individuals have been targeted or whether the actors are financially motivated cybercriminals or state-aligned entities. The use of generative AI makes attribution and detection more difficult, and the agency continues to assess the full scope of the threat.

This follows a December 2024 warning from the FBI regarding the broader use of AI-generated content — including text, audio, images, and video — to commit crimes such as fraud, extortion, and identity theft.

Broader Implications:

The campaign underscores the growing threat of generative AI in cybercrime, particularly in impersonation and phishing-style attacks aimed at high-value targets. Government agencies and private sector organizations are now being urged to:

  • Strengthen multi-factor authentication

  • Train personnel to recognize AI-driven impersonation attempts

  • Avoid clicking on unsolicited links or moving conversations to unknown platforms

As AI tools become more accessible, security experts warn that digital impersonation will become an increasingly common tactic for attackers seeking access to sensitive systems or socially engineered pathways into secure environments.