5 ms·

Hackers interrupt UAE TV streaming services with deepfake news

93 points by sandebert 3y ago

cornercasechase 3y ago
[flagged]
- jerpint 3y ago
  They are not putting into question anything other the veracity of what is being shown, given that: 1) it’s being pushed by IRGC 2) the anchor is clearly a deepfake so why give undo credence to anything else the message is delivering?
  - deprecative 3y ago
    Exactly. We have to disregard the entire thing. If we can get more of these images from reputable sources that verify the actual story that's a matter that should be discussed. Given, however, what we have is propaganda in the most explicit form we should not take it on faith that they're honest about any of it.
deleted 3y ago
[deleted]
0x006A 3y ago
is the video available somewhere?
- RamblingCTO 3y ago
  Would also love to see that!
- 6510 3y ago
  [flagged]
  - jerpint 3y ago
    > unconfirmed Jewish people Do you even think before you type?
    - 6510 3y ago
      [flagged]
      - jazzyjackson 3y ago
        it's impossible to tell what you are trying to communicate
        6510 3y ago
        It could possibly be that I was maybe perhaps joking? Lets try again... The guardian writes that ms analysts (plural) cite reports (plural) > Microsoft analysts cite reports saying disruption by group known as Cotton Sandstorm also reached audiences in UK and Canada Is this such report? https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/security/business/security-insider/reports/iran-surges-cyber-enabled-influence-operations-in-support-of-hamas/ https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/security/business/security-i... > Iran’s cyber-enabled influence operations also continued to grow in sophistication in this latest phase. They better disguised their sockpuppets by renaming some and changing their profile photos to appear more authentically Israeli. Meanwhile they made use of new techniques we’ve not seen from Iranian actors, including using AI as a key component to its messaging. We assess Cotton Sandstorm disrupted streaming television services in the UAE and elsewhere in December under the guise of a persona called “For Humanity.” For Humanity published videos on Telegram showing the group hacking into three online streaming services and disrupting several news channels with a fake news broadcast featuring an apparently AI generated anchor that claimed to show images of Palestinians injured and killed from Israeli military operations (Figure 7 (same as in the guardian article)). News outlets and viewers in the UAE, Canada, and the UK reported disruptions in streaming television programming, including BBC, that matched For Humanity’s claims. > Iran’s operations worked toward four broad objectives: destabilization, retaliation, intimidation, and undermining international support for Israel. All four of these objectives also seek to undermine Israel and its supporters’ information environments to create general confusion and lack of trust. Undermine international well deserved support for [to quote the US judge] plausible genocide? I'm kinda offended by the idea it was not my own choice to not support it. Not to worry, my government fully supports all aspects of the PG including the rejection of the convention on the Rights of the Child. Besides lots of good reporting there is also hilarious nonsense: > In April and November, Iran demonstrated repeated success in recruiting unwitting Israelis to engage in on-the-ground activities promoting its false operations. In one recent operation, “Tears of War,” Iranian operatives reportedly succeeded in convincing Israelis to hang branded Tears of War banners in Israeli neighborhoods featuring a seemingly Al-generated image of Netanyahu and calling for his removal from office You know that feeling? You see your feet and hands move and you put up banners calling for some false operations you unwittingly don't support? Hate it when that happens. We should be happy they didn't have to consciously experience it. Pretty clever how those researchers identified this among hundreds of thousands protesting against bibi. https://www.npr.org/2023/07/22/1189627225/israel-protests-netanyahu-judiciary# https://www.npr.org/2023/07/22/1189627225/israel-protests-ne...
- 6510 3y ago
  no
- SixDouble5321 3y ago
  I hope to see it too. This is equal parts cool and foreboding.
allenbina 3y ago
Begun, the clone wars have.
lolcat_cowsay 3y ago
[dead]
jasonjayr 3y ago
Oh wow. This is the next generation of that Max Headroom signal intrusion. If it can be carefully timed it could appear as if it's just a scene cut to another story, and then disconnected before the original signal resumes the next story.
- deleted 3y ago
  [deleted]
victornomad 3y ago
[flagged]
- vdaea 3y ago
  Because they didn't. The Guardian lies, as always. The text says: >The fake news anchor introduced unverified images that claimed to show Palestinians injured and killed from Israeli military operations in Gaza. So they are "unverified" in that someone from The Guardian hasn't personally checked that they are images from Gaza, but they were NOT AI-generated. The only thing that seems AI-generated is the anchorman, but that is of little importance.
  - trompetenaccoun 3y ago
    The article doesn't say anything other than you're saying. >Iranian state-backed hackers interrupted TV streaming services in the United Arab Emirates to broadcast a deepfake newsreader delivering a report on the war in Gaza, according to analysts at Microsoft. >The tech company said a hacking operation run by the Islamic Revolutionary Guards, a key branch of the Iranian armed forces, had disrupted streaming platforms in the UAE with an AI-generated news broadcast branded “For Humanity”. >The fake news anchor introduced unverified images that claimed to show Palestinians injured and killed from Israeli military operations in Gaza. Analysts at Microsoft said the hacking group, known as Cotton Sandstorm, published videos on the Telegram messaging platform showing it hacking into three online streaming services and disrupting news channels with the fake newscaster. As far as verifying things goes, yes, that's how it should work. I'm no fan of the Guardian by any means but there has been a ton of misinformation, old videos from Assad's forces bombing civilians passed off as Palestinians getting bombed, that kind of stuff. The entire conflict is an all-out propaganda war in addition to the physical fighting. Thinking that the Islamic Republic of all regimes wouldn't lie about the Israel-Palestine conflict is absurd. Also as an aside, the Guardian itself is regularly accused of having anti-Israel bias. They're not exactly known to push pro Israel talking points, to put it mildly. It's a bit like accusing Al Jazeera of having an anti Gaza bias.
    - hypeit 3y ago
Chubak-PDP11 3y ago
[dead]
lenerdenator 3y ago
Methinks Iran might be pissing in a bowl of Cheerios they're not ready to have thrown in their faces. They're entering into a deepfakes arena with several states that have more advanced technological and cyberoffensive capabilities than they do.
- actionfromafar 3y ago
  A very large chunk of the Iranian population already hates their government, not sure how some fake videos would make a difference. Maybe target the loyal somehow?
  - lenerdenator 3y ago
    That or make it so egregious they boil over.
    - DANmode 3y ago
      They recently had unrest. Didn't seem to have enough support to stick/make it through the numerous forces restraining revolution.
yodon 3y ago
Some years ago (2010 +/- 5years?) the organization that administers the Geneva Convention had a conference on whether to classify as a war crime the act or faking video of the head of a county or its military (eg. "I direct my soldiers to surrender"). I can't find a reference to it (perhaps someone else has better Google-fu) but there was an article on it in the NYTimes when it the conference was held.
- severine 3y ago
  This is a 2021 paper: https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=3958426 https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=3958426 [Deepfake Fight: AI-Powered Disinformation and Perfidy Under the Geneva Conventions] Maybe there's something in the citations.
deleted 3y ago
[deleted]
jkmcf 3y ago
I've been wondering for a while about when country-sponsored, network-base attacks be considered an act of war.

93 points by sandebert 3y ago

cornercasechase 3y ago

[flagged]

jerpint 3y ago
They are not putting into question anything other the veracity of what is being shown, given that: 1) it’s being pushed by IRGC 2) the anchor is clearly a deepfake so why give undo credence to anything else the message is delivering?
- deprecative 3y ago
  Exactly. We have to disregard the entire thing. If we can get more of these images from reputable sources that verify the actual story that's a matter that should be discussed. Given, however, what we have is propaganda in the most explicit form we should not take it on faith that they're honest about any of it.

deleted 3y ago

[deleted]

0x006A 3y ago

is the video available somewhere?

RamblingCTO 3y ago
Would also love to see that!
6510 3y ago
[flagged]
- jerpint 3y ago
  > unconfirmed Jewish people Do you even think before you type?
  - 6510 3y ago
    [flagged]
    - jazzyjackson 3y ago
      it's impossible to tell what you are trying to communicate
      - 6510 3y ago
        It could possibly be that I was maybe perhaps joking? Lets try again... The guardian writes that ms analysts (plural) cite reports (plural) > Microsoft analysts cite reports saying disruption by group known as Cotton Sandstorm also reached audiences in UK and Canada Is this such report? https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/security/business/security-insider/reports/iran-surges-cyber-enabled-influence-operations-in-support-of-hamas/ https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/security/business/security-i... > Iran’s cyber-enabled influence operations also continued to grow in sophistication in this latest phase. They better disguised their sockpuppets by renaming some and changing their profile photos to appear more authentically Israeli. Meanwhile they made use of new techniques we’ve not seen from Iranian actors, including using AI as a key component to its messaging. We assess Cotton Sandstorm disrupted streaming television services in the UAE and elsewhere in December under the guise of a persona called “For Humanity.” For Humanity published videos on Telegram showing the group hacking into three online streaming services and disrupting several news channels with a fake news broadcast featuring an apparently AI generated anchor that claimed to show images of Palestinians injured and killed from Israeli military operations (Figure 7 (same as in the guardian article)). News outlets and viewers in the UAE, Canada, and the UK reported disruptions in streaming television programming, including BBC, that matched For Humanity’s claims. > Iran’s operations worked toward four broad objectives: destabilization, retaliation, intimidation, and undermining international support for Israel. All four of these objectives also seek to undermine Israel and its supporters’ information environments to create general confusion and lack of trust. Undermine international well deserved support for [to quote the US judge] plausible genocide? I'm kinda offended by the idea it was not my own choice to not support it. Not to worry, my government fully supports all aspects of the PG including the rejection of the convention on the Rights of the Child. Besides lots of good reporting there is also hilarious nonsense: > In April and November, Iran demonstrated repeated success in recruiting unwitting Israelis to engage in on-the-ground activities promoting its false operations. In one recent operation, “Tears of War,” Iranian operatives reportedly succeeded in convincing Israelis to hang branded Tears of War banners in Israeli neighborhoods featuring a seemingly Al-generated image of Netanyahu and calling for his removal from office You know that feeling? You see your feet and hands move and you put up banners calling for some false operations you unwittingly don't support? Hate it when that happens. We should be happy they didn't have to consciously experience it. Pretty clever how those researchers identified this among hundreds of thousands protesting against bibi. https://www.npr.org/2023/07/22/1189627225/israel-protests-netanyahu-judiciary# https://www.npr.org/2023/07/22/1189627225/israel-protests-ne...
6510 3y ago
no
SixDouble5321 3y ago
I hope to see it too. This is equal parts cool and foreboding.

allenbina 3y ago

Begun, the clone wars have.

lolcat_cowsay 3y ago

[dead]

jasonjayr 3y ago

Oh wow. This is the next generation of that Max Headroom signal intrusion. If it can be carefully timed it could appear as if it's just a scene cut to another story, and then disconnected before the original signal resumes the next story.

deleted 3y ago
[deleted]

victornomad 3y ago

[flagged]

vdaea 3y ago
Because they didn't. The Guardian lies, as always. The text says: >The fake news anchor introduced unverified images that claimed to show Palestinians injured and killed from Israeli military operations in Gaza. So they are "unverified" in that someone from The Guardian hasn't personally checked that they are images from Gaza, but they were NOT AI-generated. The only thing that seems AI-generated is the anchorman, but that is of little importance.
- trompetenaccoun 3y ago
  The article doesn't say anything other than you're saying. >Iranian state-backed hackers interrupted TV streaming services in the United Arab Emirates to broadcast a deepfake newsreader delivering a report on the war in Gaza, according to analysts at Microsoft. >The tech company said a hacking operation run by the Islamic Revolutionary Guards, a key branch of the Iranian armed forces, had disrupted streaming platforms in the UAE with an AI-generated news broadcast branded “For Humanity”. >The fake news anchor introduced unverified images that claimed to show Palestinians injured and killed from Israeli military operations in Gaza. Analysts at Microsoft said the hacking group, known as Cotton Sandstorm, published videos on the Telegram messaging platform showing it hacking into three online streaming services and disrupting news channels with the fake newscaster. As far as verifying things goes, yes, that's how it should work. I'm no fan of the Guardian by any means but there has been a ton of misinformation, old videos from Assad's forces bombing civilians passed off as Palestinians getting bombed, that kind of stuff. The entire conflict is an all-out propaganda war in addition to the physical fighting. Thinking that the Islamic Republic of all regimes wouldn't lie about the Israel-Palestine conflict is absurd. Also as an aside, the Guardian itself is regularly accused of having anti-Israel bias. They're not exactly known to push pro Israel talking points, to put it mildly. It's a bit like accusing Al Jazeera of having an anti Gaza bias.
  - hypeit 3y ago

Chubak-PDP11 3y ago

[dead]

lenerdenator 3y ago

Methinks Iran might be pissing in a bowl of Cheerios they're not ready to have thrown in their faces. They're entering into a deepfakes arena with several states that have more advanced technological and cyberoffensive capabilities than they do.

actionfromafar 3y ago
A very large chunk of the Iranian population already hates their government, not sure how some fake videos would make a difference. Maybe target the loyal somehow?
- lenerdenator 3y ago
  That or make it so egregious they boil over.
  - DANmode 3y ago
    They recently had unrest. Didn't seem to have enough support to stick/make it through the numerous forces restraining revolution.

yodon 3y ago

Some years ago (2010 +/- 5years?) the organization that administers the Geneva Convention had a conference on whether to classify as a war crime the act or faking video of the head of a county or its military (eg. "I direct my soldiers to surrender"). I can't find a reference to it (perhaps someone else has better Google-fu) but there was an article on it in the NYTimes when it the conference was held.

severine 3y ago
This is a 2021 paper: https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=3958426 https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=3958426 [Deepfake Fight: AI-Powered Disinformation and Perfidy Under the Geneva Conventions] Maybe there's something in the citations.

deleted 3y ago

[deleted]

jkmcf 3y ago

I've been wondering for a while about when country-sponsored, network-base attacks be considered an act of war.