A new report released today by social threat intelligence company Cyabra Strategy Ltd. is warning of attempts to manipulate the stock price of Intel Corp. on X, the service previously known as Twitter.

The “Intel Stock Manipulation” report details how Cyabra researchers found that 22% of all conversations on X regarding Intel stock — based on the keywords “intc” and #intc between March 28 and April 4 — were tracked back to fake profiles. The accounts were found to be pushing for the purchase of Intel shares whenever the share price dropped in value, which, according to Cyabra, indicates attempts to manipulate the company’s stock price.

The disinformation campaign on X is claimed to have involved sophisticated coordination, with fake profiles sharing positive but often false sentiments about Intel’s stock. On April four, fake accounts posted 67 times, the same day that Intel stock fell by 60 cents, “distorting the conversation” about the stock’s decline by falsely promoting it as a good investment opportunity and urging people to buy the stock despite its actual drop in value.

Cyabra used its artificial intelligence-driven algorithm to scan X for specific keywords and hashtags associated with Intel to find the false tweets being shared. The algorithm then allowed Cyabra’s researchers to map out the network of fake profiles and track their influence across the platform.

The algorithm found that the misleading Intel share-related posts reached around 16,000 views, which the researchers argue demonstrates the significant impact such campaigns can have on investor behavior and market dynamics.

The report recommends that there is a need for increased vigilance and collaboration between financial institutions, regulatory bodies and social media platforms. Not surprisingly, given it’s Cyabra’s key offering, the report also says there is a need for sophisticated monitoring tools that can detect and analyze manipulative online behaviors in real time to help safeguard the integrity of financial markets.

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