
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio looks on during a ceremony. — Reuters/File
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WASHINGTON: An individual used his voice to excuse the US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and cheated government officials through a signal messaging app last month, a diplomatic cable revealed.
The incident took place in mid -June when the imitation contacted the Foreign Ministers, the US Governor, and a Congress member. According to the cable, to please others, he also left fake voice miles on two of them.
The man also tried to start a private conversation on the signal by sending a text message to the targeted person.
Officials said the purpose of the trick was to steal sensitive information or access private accounts by giving voice as a real high diplomat.
“The actor’s goal was to manipulate targeted individuals using AI -infield text and sound messages, which aims to access information or accounts,” said the cable.
The Washington Post first reported the attempt.
The incident came weeks after the administration faced a crisis, when President Donald Trump’s former national security adviser Mike Walts formed a group chat on a signal where a journalist was accidentally included. Information about military attacks in Yemen was later shared on chat.
He said, “The campaign does not directly pose a cyber threat to the department, but if a target is compromised, joint information with a third party can be exposed.”
The State Department has now warned staff and partners to protect them from such AI -based scams.
On July 3, the Foreign Department cable was sent to all diplomatic and consular positions, and suggests that staff warns external partners about fake accounts and images.
It did not disclose further details about the ministers’ identity to contact foreign and US politicians.
“The State Department is aware of the incident and is currently investigating the matter,” said a senior state official on condition of anonymity.
The official added, “The department takes its responsibility seriously to protect its information and takes permanent steps to improve the department’s cyberciction currency to prevent future events.”
‘Wide knowledge’
In mid -May, the FBI said malicious actors are using text messages and AI -made sound messages to imitate senior US officials in a scheme to access the personal accounts of state and federal government officials.
The FBI said in a public service announcement, access to target accounts can be used even after other government officials or their colleagues and contacts, and can also be used to eliminate information or funds.
The FBI refuses to comment.
Neither the cable nor the US officials pointed to a suspected criminal, but the cable cited another attempt in April, which was attributed to a Russian -affiliated hacker, which led to think tanks, Eastern European workers and a former Foreign Ministry.
In this attempt, the offender copied a fake “@state.gov” email address on the messages as well as the logo and branding used by the state’s bureau of diplomatic technology.
He said, ‘The actor showed extensive information about the department’s names and internal documents.’
In this campaign, the man posted messages sent to private Gmail accounts as a State Department official.
The Foreign Ministry said that industry partners attributed the campaign to a cyber actor affiliated with the Russian foreign intelligence service.
The incident came weeks after the Wall Street Journal reported that US federal officials were investigating the White House chief of staff Susi Willies.