WASHINGTON, DC—An impostor posing as US Secretary of State Marco Rubio sent AI-generated voice and text messages to high-level officials and foreign ministers, reports said Tuesday, the latest American official to be targeted by impersonators.
A cable from the top US diplomat’s office said the unidentified culprit was likely seeking to manipulate powerful officials “with the goal of gaining access to information or accounts,” the Washington Post and other US media reported.
The impostor contacted at least three foreign ministers, a US state governor, and a member of Congress using both text messaging and the encrypted messaging app Signal, according to the cable dated July 3.
Starting in mid-June, the impostor created a Signal account using the display name “Marco.Rubio@state.gov” to contact the unsuspecting officials, it added.
“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,” said the cable.
The contents of the messages were unclear.
Responding to an AFP request for comment, the State Department said it was aware of the incident and was “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,” said a senior State Department official. AFP
The impersonation of Rubio was one of “two distinct campaigns” being probed in which threat actors impersonate State Department personnel via email and messaging apps, the cable said.
The second campaign began in April and involves a “Russia-linked cyber actor” who conducted a phishing campaign targeting personal Gmail accounts associated with think tank scholars, Eastern Europe-based activists and dissidents, journalists, and former officials, it said.
The cyber actor posed as a “fictitious” State Department official and sought to tap into the contents of the users’ Gmail accounts, added the cable. AFP
Editor’s Note: This is an updated article. Originally posted with the headline “Rubio imposter used AI to message high-level officials—reports”
