  Social media platforms enable largely unrestricted many-to-many
communication. In times of crisis, they offer a space for collective
sense-making and gave rise to new social phenomena (e.g. open-source
investigations). However, they also serve as a tool for threat actors to
conduct cyber-enabled social influence operations (CeSIOs) in order to shape
public opinion and interfere in decision-making processes. CeSIOs rely on the
employment of sock puppet accounts to engage authentic users in online
communication, exert influence, and subvert online discourse. Large Language
Models (LLMs) may further enhance the deceptive properties of sock puppet
accounts. Recent LLMs are able to generate targeted and persuasive text which
is for the most part indistinguishable from human-written content -- ideal
features for covert influence. This article reviews recent developments at the
intersection of LLMs and influence operations, summarizes LLMs' salience, and
explores the potential impact of LLM-instrumented sock puppet accounts for
CeSIOs. Finally, mitigation measures for the near future are highlighted.
