Does India Face A Threat From Chinese Hackers During Lok Sabha Polls? Microsoft Warns About Potential Hacking With AI Tools

India will hold its Lok Sabha elections from April 19 to June 1, 2024. The government has received a warning from Microsoft about potential hacking attempts using AI tools by malicious actors from China to influence the voting behaviour of Indian citizens. In a blog post, Microsoft highlighted that with key elections happening in India, South Korea, and the United States this year, China will likely utilize AI to generate and spread content that benefits its interests.

Microsoft pointed out that AI has become a popular tool for hackers, who can easily manipulate videos and voices of public figures to create convincing fake content that can go viral and reach millions. China has had ongoing tensions with both India and the US, including a trade ban between China and the US since 2020. Microsoft’s Threat Analysis Center regularly shares its findings, so this latest development will likely put the Indian government and law enforcement on high alert.

Microsoft’s post outlined concerns that China is using fake social media accounts to survey voters on divisive issues in order to sow discord and potentially influence the outcome of the US presidential election in China’s favour.

Some examples cited include spreading misinformation that the August 2023 Maui wildfires were caused by US government testing of a military-grade weather weapon, and using AI to destabilize the January 2024 Taiwanese presidential election. Microsoft noted that this is the first time they have seen nation-backed actors using AI tools to influence foreign elections, which is very troubling. Microsoft warned that China’s increasing experimentation with augmenting memes, videos, and audio will likely continue and may become more effective over time.

Microsoft advised that the US, India, and other countries holding major elections this year need to develop tools to counter the threat of AI and safeguard people against falling for misinformation online.