WASHINGTON (October 24, 2024) – In a new report by Microsoft, Iranian government-linked hackers investigated U.S. election-related websites in swing states, in a possible effort to discover vulnerabilities that could be used to influence the presidential election, CNN reports. Microsoft says the probing took place in April and also included a dive into major U.S. media outlets, but this was only just discovered recently by Microsoft analysts.
Faculty experts at the George Washington University are available to weigh in. To speak with an expert, please contact GW Media Relations at [email protected].
Misinformation
Neil Johnson, professor of physics, leads a new initiative in Complexity and Data Science which combines cross-disciplinary fundamental research with data science to attack complex real-world problems. He is an expert on how misinformation and hate speech spreads online and effective mitigation strategies. Johnson published new research this spring on bad-actor AI online activity in 2024.
Ethan Porter is an associate professor of media and public affairs and of political science at GW. He holds appointments in the School of Media and Public Affairs and the Political Science Department and is the Cluster Lead of the Misinformation/Disinformation Lab at GW's Institute for Data, Democracy and Politics. His research has appeared or is forthcoming in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, Journal of Politics, British Journal of Political Science, Political Behavior, Political Communication and other journals.
Cybersecurity
Scott J. White, Associate Professor and Director of the Cybersecurity Program and Cyber Academy at the College of Professional Studies at the George Washington University. Dr. White is an expert in cybersecurity, cybercrime, counter-terrorism and infrastructure protection. He has worked for a variety of law enforcement agencies in the US, the UK and Canada; as well as holds a Queen’s Commission and was an Officer with the Canadian Security Intelligence Service.
US-Iran Relations
Sina Azodi, Professorial Lecturer at the George Washington University, where he teaches a graduate course on Iran’s foreign policy in the Middle East. He is an expert on U.S.-Iran relations, international security, and nuclear nonproliferation.
Campaign Implications
Peter Loge is the director of GW’s School of Media and Public Affairs. He has nearly 30 years of experience in politics and communications, having served as a deputy to the chief of staff for Sen. Edward Kennedy during the 1995 shutdown, a VP at the US Institute of Peace in 2013, and held senior positions for three members of the U.S. House of Representatives. Loge currently leads the Project on Ethics in Political Communication at the School of Media and Public Affairs and continues to advise advocates and organizations.
Todd Belt is the director of the Political Management Program at the GW Graduate School of Political Management. Belt is an expert on the presidency, campaigns and elections, mass media and politics, public opinion, and political humor. In addition to his expertise, Belt is co-author of four books and helps to run GW’s political poll, which recently shared new findings.
Election Security
Thom Shanker is the director of the Project for Media & National Security at the GW School of Media and Public Affairs. He was named director after a nearly quarter-century career with The New York Times, including 13 years as Pentagon correspondent covering the Department of Defense, overseas combat operations and national security policy. Before joining The Times, he was foreign editor of The Chicago Tribune and spent five years as The Tribune's Moscow correspondent. Shanker has spoken about election security and the role of foreign adversaries trying to meddle in U.S. elections.
“I know there will be very difficult and very challenging disinformation campaigns by all of our adversaries and it’s really important for every American citizen to be a smart consumer of news and to not be sucked in by fakes and deep fakes and misinformation,” Shanker said. Hear more of Shanker’s comments on election security in this video.
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