# Incident I00022: #Macronleaks

* **Summary:** Countering the spreading of an alleged 9GB of “leaked”, fake documents of Macron campaign

* **incident type**: incident

* **Year started:** 2017

* **Countries:** Russia , France

* **Found via:** OII

* **Date added:** 2019-02-24
 

| Technique | Description given for this incident |
| --------- | ------------------------- |
| [T0007 Create fake Social Media Profiles / Pages / Groups](../techniques/T0007.md) | I00022T004 Fake FB groups/pages/profiles + dark content |
| [T0025 Leak altered documents](../techniques/T0025.md) | I00022T001 hack/leak/manipulate/distort |
| [T0053 Twitter trolls amplify and manipulate](../techniques/T0053.md) | I00022T003 Twitter trolls amplify & manipulate |
| [T0054 Twitter bots amplify](../techniques/T0054.md) | I00022T002 Twitter bots amplify & manipulate |


DO NOT EDIT ABOVE THIS LINE - PLEASE ADD NOTES BELOW

Actor: 

* 4chan user with Latvian IP address, 
* pro-Trump Twitter accounts

Timeframe: a few days

Date: Two days before the second round of French 2017 election (May 5, 2017)

Presumed goals: sabotaging Macron campaign in the last stage of the election.

Method:

* Hashtag campaign: #MacronLeaks with use of bots. 
* Hashtags initially launched in the US, then got publicized by alt-right influencer, Le Pen’s supporters, Wikileaks.

Counters:

* French agencies that monitor cybersecurity, electoral integrity.
* Technical precautions: ending e-voting.
* Facebook removed 70,000 suspicious accounts in France 10 days before the vote.
* Campaign staff responding to social media posts and comments.
* Technically, placing traps along the way, using fake passwords, email addresses, documents to trap hackers.
* Stop offering press credentials to propaganda outlets.
* Use encrypted apps for confidential communication.
* Requesting the media not to report false information.

Related incidents:

References:

* https://www.niemanlab.org/2018/09/how-france-beat-back-information-manipulation-and-how-other-democracies-might-do-the-same/
* https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/ryanhatesthis/heres-how-far-right-trolls-are-spreading-hoaxes-about
* https://medium.com/dfrlab/hashtag-campaign-macronleaks-4a3fb870c4e8