* **Summary**: Gmail, iCloud mail, and Microsoft Outlook are examples of Email Platforms.<br><br>Email Platforms are online platforms which allow people to create Accounts that they can use to send and receive emails to and from other email accounts. <br><br>Instead of using an Email Platform, actors may set up their own Email Domain, letting them send and receive emails on a custom domain.<br><br>Analysts should default to Email Platform if they cannot confirm whether an email was sent using a privately operated email, or via an account on a public email platform (for example, in situations where analysts are coding third party reporting which does not specify the type of email used).
* **Belongs to tactic stage**: TA07
| Incident | Descriptions given for this incident |
| [I00119 Independent journalist publishes Trump campaign document hacked by Iran despite election interference concerns](../../generated_pages/incidents/I00119.md) | <i>An American journalist who runs an independent newsletter published a document [on 26 Sep 2024] that appears to have been stolen from Donald Trump’s presidential campaign — the first public posting of a file that is believed to be part of a dossier that federal officials say is part of an Iranian effort to manipulate the [2024] U.S. election.<br><br>The PDF document is a 271-page opposition research file on former President Donald Trump’s running mate, Sen. JD Vance, R-Ohio.<br><br>For more than two months, hackers who the U.S. says are tied to Iran have tried to persuade the American media to cover files they stole. No outlets took the bait.<br><br>But on Thursday, reporter Ken Klippenstein, who self-publishes on Substack after he left The Intercept this year, published one of the files.<br><br>[...]<br><br>Reporters who have received the documents describe the same pattern: An AOL account emails them files, signed by a person using the name “Robert,” who is reluctant to speak to their identity or reasons for wanting the documents to receive coverage.<br><br>NBC News was not part of the Robert persona’s direct outreach, but it has viewed its correspondence with a reporter at another publication.<br><br> One of the emails from the Robert persona previously viewed by NBC News included three large PDF files, each corresponding to Trump’s three reported finalists for vice president. The Vance file appears to be the one Klippenstein hosts on his site.</i><br><br>In this example hackers attributed to Iran used the Robert persona to email journalists hacked documents (T0146: Account Asset, T0097.100: Individual Persona, T0153.001: Email Platform).<br><br>The journalist Ken Kippenstien used his existing blog on substack to host a link to download the document (T0089: Obtain Private Documents, T0097.102: Journalist Persona, T0115: Post Content, T0143.001: Authentic Persona, T0152.001: Blogging Platform, T0152.002: Blog Asset, T0150.003: Pre-Existing Asset). |
| [I00121 Operation Overload: how pro-Russian actors flood newsrooms with fake content and seek to divert their efforts](../../generated_pages/incidents/I00121.md) | <i>The unique aspect of Operation Overload is a barrage of emails sent to newsrooms and fact-checkers across Europe. The authors of these messages urge recipients to verify content allegedly found online. The email subject lines often include an incitement to verify the claims briefly described in the message body. This is followed by a short list of links directing recipients to posts on Telegram, X, or known pro-Russian websites, including Pravda and Sputnik. <br><br>We have collected 221 emails sent to 20 organisations. The organisations mostly received identical emails urging them to fact-check specific false stories, which demonstrates that the emails were sent as part of a larger coordinated campaign.<br><br>[...]<br><br>The authors of the emails do not hide their intention to see the fake content widely spread. In February 2024, a journalist at the German outlet CORRECTIV engaged with the sender of one of the emails, providing feedback on the narratives which were originally sent. CORRECTIV received a response from the same Gmail address, initially expressing respect and trust in CORRECTIV’s assessment, while asking: “is it possible for your work to be seen by as many people as possible?”, thereby clearly stating the goal of the operation.<br><br>[...]<br><br>All the emails come from authors posing as concerned citizens. All emails are sent with Gmail accounts, which is typical for personal use. This makes it challenging to identify the individuals behind these emails, as anyone can open a Gmail account for free. The email headers indicate that the messages were sent from the Gmail interface, not from a personal client which would disclose the sender’s IP address.</i><br><br>In this example, threat actors used gmail accounts (T0146.001: Free Account Asset, T0097.100: Individual Persona, T0143.002: Fabricated Persona, T0153.001: Email Platform) to target journalists and fact-checkers, with the apparent goal of having them amplify operation narratives through fact checks. |
