Latest news with #AIImpersonation
France 24
09-07-2025
- Politics
- France 24
Imposter uses AI to pose as Rubio in messages to US and foreign officials
The State Department is warning US diplomats of attempts to impersonate Secretary of State Marco Rubio and possibly other officials using technology driven by artificial intelligence, according to two senior officials and a cable sent last week to all embassies and consulates. The warning came after the department discovered that an impostor posing as Rubio had attempted to reach out to at least three foreign ministers, a US senator and a governor, according to the July 3 cable, which was first reported by The Washington Post. The recipients of the scam messages, which were sent by text, Signal and voice mail, were not identified in the cable, a copy of which was shared with The Associated Press. 'The State Department is aware of this incident and is currently monitoring and addressing the matter," department spokeswoman Tammy Bruce told reporters. 'The department takes seriously its responsibility to safeguard its information and continuously take steps to improve the department's cybersecurity posture to prevent future incidents.' She declined to comment further due to 'security reasons' and the ongoing investigation. It's the latest instance of a high-level Trump administration figure targeted by an impersonator, with a similar incident revealed in May involving President Donald Trump's chief of staff, Susie Wiles. The misuse of AI to deceive people is likely to grow as the technology improves and becomes more widely available, and the FBI warned this past spring about 'malicious actors' impersonating senior US government officials in a text and voice messaging campaign. The hoaxes involving Rubio had been unsuccessful and 'not very sophisticated", one of the officials said. Nonetheless, the second official said the department deemed it 'prudent' to advise all employees and foreign governments, particularly as efforts by foreign actors to compromise information security increase. The officials were not authorised to discuss the matter publicly and spoke on condition of anonymity. 'There is no direct cyber threat to the department from this campaign, but information shared with a third party could be exposed if targeted individuals are compromised,' the cable said. The FBI has warned in a public service announcement about a 'malicious' campaign relying on text messages and AI-generated voice messages that purport to come from a senior US official and that aim to dupe other government officials as well as the victim's associates and contacts. This is not the first time that Rubio has been impersonated in a deepfake. This spring, someone created a bogus video of him saying he wanted to cut off Ukraine's access to Elon Musk's Starlink internet service. Ukraine's government later rebutted the false claim. Several potential solutions have been put forward in recent years to the growing misuse of AI for deception, including criminal penalties and improved media literacy. Concerns about deepfakes have also led to a flood of new apps and AI systems designed to spot phonies that could easily fool a human. The tech companies working on these systems are now in competition against those who would use AI to deceive, according to Siwei Lyu, a professor and computer scientist at the University at Buffalo. He said he's seen an increase in the number of deepfakes portraying celebrities, politicians and business leaders as the technology improves. Just a few years ago, fakes contained easy-to-spot flaws – inhuman voices or mistakes like extra fingers – but now the AI is so good, it's much harder for a human to spot, giving deepfake makers an advantage. 'The level of realism and quality is increasing,' Lyu said. 'It's an arms race, and right now the generators are getting the upper hand.' The Rubio hoax comes after text messages and phone calls went to elected officials, business executives and other prominent figures from someone who seemed to have gained access to the contacts in Wiles' personal cellphone, The Wall Street Journal reported in May. Some of those who received calls heard a voice that sounded like Wiles, which may have been generated by AI, according to the newspaper. The messages and calls were not coming from Wiles' number, the report said. The government was investigating.
News.com.au
09-07-2025
- Politics
- News.com.au
Foreign Minister Penny Wong declines to confirm whether she was targeted by Marco Rubio impersonator
Foreign Minister Penny Wong has declined to confirm or deny whether she was one of the three foreign ministers targeted by an impostor who used artificial intelligence to impersonate US Secretary of State Marco Rubio. First reported by The Washington Post, the scammer sent fake texts and voice messages to at least five targets that included three foreign ministers, a US governor and a member of congress. Some messages were sent via texts, while others used the encrypted messaging app Signal. The scam was identified in a State Department cable dated July 3 that warned the impostor 'likely aimed to manipulate targeted individuals using AI-generated text and voice messages, with the goal of gaining access to information or accounts'. It also warned that the 'actor demonstrated extensive knowledge of the department's naming conventions and internal documentation'. Written messages used branding resembling material used by the Department of State's Bureau of Diplomatic Technology as well as a fake @ email address. A spokeswoman for Senator Wong, who is travelling to Malaysia for the ASEAN Summit, declined to comment on whether the minister was impacted and said the office would not comment during ongoing investigations. The US State Department has confirmed it is investigating the matter. '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 senior department official said. The scandal comes just months after then-national security adviser Mike Waltz added high-profile The Atlantic journalist Jeffrey Goldberg into a group chat also on Signal that discussed plans to launch strikes on Houthi rebels in Yemen. Members of the group also included Mr Rubio as well as US Vice President JD Vance and Defence Secretary Peter Hegseth. As a result of the scandal, Mr Waltz was ousted as the national security adviser and replaced by Mr Rubio.
The Guardian
09-07-2025
- Politics
- The Guardian
AI scammer posing as Marco Rubio targets officials in growing threat
An unknown fraudster has used artificial intelligence to impersonate the US secretary of state, Marco Rubio, contacting at least five senior officials. According to a state department cable first seen by the Washington Post and confirmed by the Guardian, the impostor sent fake voice messages and texts that mimicked Rubio's voice and writing style to those targets including three foreign ministers, a US governor and a member of Congress. The cable, dated 3 July, said the impostor 'left voicemails on Signal for at least two targeted individuals' and sent text messages inviting others to communicate on the platform. It's still a mystery who is behind the Rubio scam, but the cable reads that the goal had been 'gaining access to information or accounts' of powerful government officials. 'The state department is aware of this incident and is currently investigating the matter,' said a senior state department official. '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. For security reasons, and due to our ongoing investigation, we are not in a position to offer further details at this time.' The threat of AI impersonators has become increasingly common across government agencies. The state department cable included details that the actor impersonating Rubio created the account in mid-June and was similar to other activity in May when someone impersonated other senior US government officials. That is likely a reference to the impersonator who pretended to be White House chief of staff Susie Wiles and reached out to her personal contacts and one lawmaker. David Axelrod, who served as senior adviser to Barack Obama, said the AI scam using Rubio was 'only a matter of time' and urged urgent action to defend against such attacks. 'A Marco Rubio impostor is using AI voice to call high-level officials,' Axelrod wrote on X. 'This is the new world in which we live and we'd better figure out how to defend against it because of its implications for our democracy and the world.'
Russia Today
09-07-2025
- Politics
- Russia Today
State Department on alert after hoaxer uses AI to impersonate Marco Rubio
An imposter attempted to contact US and foreign officials using artificial intelligence to impersonate Secretary of State Marco Rubio, multiple media outlets reported, citing State Department memos. The hoaxer reportedly sent AI-generated voice and text messages that mimicked Rubio's voice and writing style to at least three foreign ministers, a US senator, and a governor. According to The Washington Post, the culprit used the encrypted messaging app Signal and registered an account displaying the fake email address ' The outreach reportedly began in mid-June. A US official told the Associated Press that the messages were 'not very sophisticated' and ultimately unsuccessful. 'There is no direct cyber threat to the department from this campaign, but information shared with a third party could be exposed if targeted individuals are compromised,' the State Department said in a memo to US embassies, as cited by AP. State Department spokeswoman Tammy Bruce confirmed the incident on Tuesday, saying the department is 'currently monitoring and addressing the matter.' She added, '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.' In May, the FBI warned the public about 'malicious actors' using AI-generated voice messages to impersonate senior US officials. The alert followed an incident in which someone hacked the phone of White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles and sent fake calls and messages to her contacts.
New York Times
08-07-2025
- Politics
- New York Times
State Dept. Is Investigating Messages Impersonating Rubio, Official Says
The State Department is investigating episodes in which one or more people used artificial intelligence to impersonate Secretary of State Marco Rubio in messages to top foreign diplomats and U.S. officials, according to an official at the agency. Mr. Rubio's office sent a cable, or an agency memo, last week to State Department employees about the efforts to impersonate him. When asked on Tuesday about the cable and the episodes, the department's press office issued a statement from a senior official that said the department was 'aware of this incident and is currently investigating the matter.' '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,' the statement said. The person or people impersonating Mr. Rubio sent text and voice messages, including over the encrypted chat app Signal, to at least five people outside the State Department. The recipients included a governor, a member of Congress and three foreign ministers, according to the cable, which was reported earlier by The Washington Post. The cable was dated July 3. Mr. Rubio's voice and mannerisms can be observed on many online sites. He is a ubiquitous presence on television, holds news conferences and appears in many photo opportunities in which he exchanges words with other diplomats. Before becoming secretary of state this year, he was a senator from Florida who spoke frequently at congressional hearings and other public appearances, including when he ran against Donald J. Trump for the Republican presidential nomination in 2016. Want all of The Times? Subscribe.
