Current sectionIsrael NewsNational Security & CyberShare to FacebookShare to XArticle printing is available to subscribers onlyPrint in a simple, ad-free formatSubscribeComments: Zen reading is available to subscribers onlyAd-free and in a comfortable reading formatSubscribeThe operation boasts "15 years of experience, 100 percent success" and an army of 1,600 avatars. Credit: Photos of BlackCore's and Galacticos' websites before they went offline A smear campaign distributed phony AI-generated nudes of a left-wing French candidate. A Haaretz-Libération investigation has uncovered systems for building an army of avatars – developed in IsraelOmer Benjakob08:54 PM • May 18 2026 IDTA foreign influence operation aimed at France's hard-left party is being investigated by the country's security services, which seek to thwart a scheme run by a network of avatars and bogus websites.Loading...Click the alert icon to follow topics:Cyber WarfareFranceArtificial Intelligence (AI)EuropeCommentsLoading...In the NewsIn the News: Israel-Iran Live UpdatesIsrael Iraq BaseIsrael ElectionsLebanonNoam BettanSettler ViolenceHaQuizHaaretz PodcastStarlink Users, Beware – Israeli Tech Can Reveal Your IdentityIranian Influence Campaign Targeting Arab Society in Israel Ahead of ElectionsHack, Leak and Attack: How Iran Penetrated Israel's Top Security Think TankIsrael Deploys Net-launching Drones to Intercept Hezbollah's Attack DronesUkraine Files Police Complaint in Israel Over Alleged Stolen Wheat ImportsRemembering and rebuilding two years laterICYMIHundreds Protest at New York Times HQ Over Column Alleging Abuse by IsraelisEverybody Loses in the Cynical Israeli-Palestinian Sexual Violence CompetitionWelcome to the Most Shameful Day in the Jewish CalendarIsraeli Teens Storm Muslim Quarter in Old City, Haaretz Reporter AttackedIsrael Attacks New York Times for Report on Sexual Violence by Israeli ForcesAbe Foxman's Death Marks the Demise of the American Jewish Establishment