China-linked influence campaign targeting U.S. midterms, security firm says

Washington — A group of Chinese-linked cyber criminals known as "Dragonbridge" has expanded influence operations aimed at discrediting and undermining the U.S. political system, including explicit attempts to discourage Americans from voting in the 2022 midterm elections, according to a new report by cybersecurity firm Mandiant.

Mandiant assessed "with high confidence" that Dragonbridge is operating in support of the political interests of the People's Republic of China (PRC). According to new research and monitoring by the cybersecurity firm, the Chinese-aligned disinformation campaign has "aggressively target[ed] the United States by seeking to sow division both between the U.S. and its allies and within the U.S. political system itself."

In September 2022, a Dragonbridge account posted an English-language video that sought to discourage Americans from voting in the upcoming elections and questioned the merits of U.S. government institutions in general. According to Mandiant, the video claimed that "the solution to America's ills is not to vote for someone," but rather to "root out this ineffective and incapacitated system."