| Category | Details |
|---|---|
| Threat Actors | GLASSBRIDGE (umbrella group), Shanghai Haixun Technology Co., Ltd. (Haixun), Times Newswire, Shenzhen Haimai Yunxiang Media Co., Ltd. (Haimai), DURINBRIDGE, Shenzhen Bowen Media Information Technology Co., Ltd. |
| Campaign Overview | Coordinated influence campaigns disseminating pro-PRC narratives through networks of inauthentic news sites operated by digital PR firms. Sites pose as independent outlets but publish similar content aligned with PRC interests. |
| Target Regions | Global: Includes Australia, Austria, Czechia, Egypt, France, Germany, India, Japan, Kenya, Korea, Malaysia, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, Spain, Russia, Thailand, Taiwan, USA, Vietnam, and others. |
| Methodology | Bulk creation of domains masquerading as independent news sites. Use of newswire services (e.g., Times Newswire, World Newswire), recruitment via platforms like Fiverr, and partnerships with legitimate outlets for content syndication. |
| Product Targeted | Google News features, Google Discover. |
| Malware Reference | Not applicable (focus on influence operations). |
| Tools Used | Freelance platforms (e.g., Fiverr), newswire services (e.g., Times Newswire, World Newswire). |
| Vulnerabilities Exploited | Social engineering via imitation of independent news outlets to propagate narratives. |
| TTPs | – Creation of inauthentic websites. – Dissemination of localized and PRC-aligned narratives. – Use of ephemeral smear campaigns. – Tailored narratives to regional audiences. – Distribution via PR firms and subdomains of legitimate outlets. |
| Attribution | Likely directed by a shared customer aligned with PRC political interests; plausible deniability achieved through outsourcing to private PR firms. |
| Recommendations | – Block and report inauthentic content. – Increase vigilance on Google News and Discover. – Enhance transparency of content sources. – Regular monitoring and analysis of such influence operations. – Awareness campaigns for identifying misinformation. |
| Source | Google Cloud |
Read full article: https://cloud.google.com/blog/topics/threat-intelligence/glassbridge-pro-prc-influence-operations/
Disclaimer: The above summary has been generated by an AI language model
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