Russia's Disinformation Campaign Targets Ukraine's Supporters

A sophisticated Russian disinformation campaign, which has been misleading prominent individuals into embarrassing comments, has been discovered by cyber security firm Proofpoint. 

Now, Proofpoint has released information about this Russian disinformation campaign involving fake comments or acts on videos the threat actors claim to be high-profile Russian individuals. The researchers stated that they have been tracking the malicious email campaign, purported by the Russia-aligned group TA499, to understand the context of the disinformation. 

The emails contain phishing lures to prominent business leaders and other individuals who have supported Ukraine or criticised the Russian government. Targets of the deception include North American and European government officials as well as CEOs of major companies. The calls or replies are edited by the threat group and published to Youtube and RUTUBE channels for misinformation purposes. 

The videos and posts are designed to paint the targets in a negative light following their support of Ukraine. Proofpoint believes that the disinformation is designed to influence a Russian audience.

The researchers expect that TA499 will continue with these campaigns, with the Russia-Ukraine war unlikely to end any time soon. 

They advise that prominent individuals who have made statements supporting Ukraine or criticising the Kremlin should take care in verifying the identities of those inviting them to conduct business or discuss political topics over video conferencing.

Proofpoint:    Gov.UK:     Politico:   RAND:    oOodaloop:    Infosecurity Magazine:    

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