What is Storm 1376? Why is it being accused of rigging general elections across nations?

After a test run during Taiwan's presidential election, Microsoft has warned that China will try to rig elections in the US, South Korea, and India this year using content generated by artificial intelligence. The US tech company predicted that North Korea-affiliated Chinese state-backed cyber gangs would attack prominent elections in 2024, according to research released on Friday by its threat intelligence team.

AI and China

The research focused on China's attempt to sway the January presidential election in Taiwan, which was the first time artificial intelligence (AI)-generated information was used by a state-sponsored organization to influence a foreign election. During the Taiwanese election, a Beijing-backed organization called Storm 1376 circulated phony audio files and memes created by AI in an attempt to disparage certain candidates.Furthermore, Microsoft reported that Chinese organizations are still running influence campaigns in the US, posing contentious questions on social media and obtaining information on important voting demographics in advance of the US presidential election.

This report's release corresponds with previous disclosures of cybersecurity breaches linked to Chinese cyber operators with state support. The US and UK governments said last month that hackers with Chinese support had been running a protracted cyberattack against companies, journalists, and lawmakers.The Microsoft warning highlights the need for increased vigilance against such threats and the growing concerns about the use of AI in electoral tampering.

What is Storm 1376?

On election day, Storm-1376 shared an artificial intelligence (AI) audio clip that mimicked the voice of politician and former Foxconn CEO Terry Gou. Fake audio of Gou, a presidential candidate, promoting a different contender can be found in the file. Additionally, Storm 1376 produced memes regarding many politicians and officials in Taiwan using AI. "We believe that China will, at the very least, produce and promote AI-generated content to further its interests in light of the significant elections that are happening all over the world this year, especially in South Korea, India, and the United States," Watts wrote.