Russian Government-Linked Organizations Step Up Attacks on Kamala Harris

Microsoft’s Threat Analysis Center has revealed that organizations linked to the Russian government are intensifying their attacks on US Vice President Kamala Harris ahead of the presidential election in November.

A recent report by the Microsoft Threat Analysis Center exposed a fake video circulating on social media, which falsely claimed that Vice President Harris was involved in a hit-and-run accident in 2011 that seriously injured a girl. The video, initially posted on a website masquerading as a local San Francisco media outlet, garnered over 7 million views on Twitter alone and was also shared on Facebook, TikTok, and YouTube.

Another video featuring a fake billboard in New York, which falsely accused Vice President Harris of attempting to change the gender of children, was also released and received hundreds of thousands of views on Twitter.

According to Microsoft’s analysis, these videos emerged in late August and early September, following President Joe Biden’s withdrawal from the presidential candidacy in July.

“The attack on the Harris campaign reflects a strategic move by Russian organizations to exploit vulnerabilities against a new candidate,” said Clint Watts, General Manager of the Microsoft Threat Analysis Center.

The US government has taken action against Russian state media RT and 10 individuals, adding them to a list of new sanctions for attempting to influence the presidential election. As a result, Meta, the parent company of Facebook, has announced that it will ban Russian media, including RT, from its platform.