Topline
Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman Ben Cardin, D-Md., was the target of a sophisticated spoofing operation where a video caller used deepfake imagery to pose as a high-level Ukrainian official, according to multiple reports late Wednesday, highlighting the growing threat of AI-generated false images and videos.
Sen. Ben Cardin, D-MD, was the target of a sophisticated deepfake operation.
Key Facts
The incident, first reported by Punchbowl News and later confirmed by the New York Times, was cited in a notice sent out by the Senate’s security office about a recent Zoom call a senator had with an individual posing as Dmytro Kuleba—Ukraine’s former Foreign Minister.
Citing two Senate officials, the Times confirmed Cardin was the senator in question, who also told the outlet about a bad actor’s “deceptive attempt to have a conversation with me by posing as a known individual.”
According to the notice, Cardin connected with a caller on Zoom who looked and sounded like Kubela after receiving an email from someone claiming to be the Ukrainian leader who recently stepped down from his role as part of a wider cabinet reshuffle.
Cardin, however, grew suspicious about the authenticity of the caller after being asked “politically charged questions in relation to the upcoming election,” including if he supported the use of long-range missiles to target Russian territory.
In a separate notice reported by NBC News, the Senate security office also warned lawmakers about an “active social engineering campaign…targeting Senators and Senate staff.”
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Crucial Quote
“While we have seen an increase of social engineering threats in the last several months and years, this attempt stands out due to its technical sophistication and believability,” the notice said.
