❓WHAT HAPPENED: An impostor used artificial intelligence (AI) technology to impersonate Secretary of State Marco Rubio, contacting senior U.S. officials and foreign ministers via Signal.
👤WHO WAS INVOLVED: Secretary of State Marco Rubio, senior U.S. officials, foreign ministers, and an unidentified impostor.
📍WHEN & WHERE: The incidents occurred in mid-June and were detailed in a State Department cable dated July 3.
💬KEY QUOTE: “The actor left voicemails on Signal for at least two targeted individuals and in one instance, sent a text message inviting the individual to communicate on Signal,” the State Department cable said.
🎯IMPACT: It is believed that the impostor used AI technology to mimic Rubio’s voice and writing style in an effort to gain access to sensitive government accounts or information. It is unclear at this time whether the impostor was acting independently or on behalf of a foreign government.
An unidentified impostor used artificial intelligence (AI) technology to impersonate Secretary of State Marco Rubio, contacting senior U.S. officials and foreign ministers through the Signal messaging application. According to a State Department cable issued on July 3, the individual sent voicemails and text messages to at least five individuals, including three foreign ministers, a U.S. governor, and a member of Congress.
It is believed that the impostor was attempting to manipulate their targets with the messages in an effort to gain access to sensitive government information or accounts. It remains unclear whether the perpetrator was acting alone or on behalf of a foreign government.
The impostor created a Signal account in mid-June under the display name “Marco.Rubio@state.gov,” which is not a legitimate email address used by the Secretary. According to the State Department, the impostor subsequently used the Signal app to leave voicemails using an AI-generated version of Sec. Rubio’s voice for at least two individuals. Meanwhile, one other individual received a text message from the Signal account inviting them to communicate further on the app.
In addition to impersonating Sec. Rubio, the diplomatic cable indicated that it is believed that other State Department officials have been impersonated using false email addresses as well. Notably, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) warned in May that it believed “malicious actors” were utilizing AI technology to impersonate U.S. government officials as part of an “ongoing malicious text and voice messaging campaign.” The bureau indicated that the scheme was targeting other U.S. government and foreign leaders in an effort to “elicit information or funds.”
Significant advances in AI-powered large language models (LLMs) and audio mimicry mean that malicious actors, in some instances, only need a handful of short clips of an individual’s voice and speech pattern to create a believable approximation of that person.
While the State Department has publicly confirmed that at least five individuals were targeted by the impostor, it is unknown whether any of the officials responded to the messages.
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