{"id":2852,"date":"2024-04-03T03:00:00","date_gmt":"2024-04-03T08:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.darkreading.com\/vulnerabilities-threats\/unfaking-news-how-to-counter-disinformation-campaigns-in-global-elections"},"modified":"2024-04-03T03:00:00","modified_gmt":"2024-04-03T08:00:00","slug":"unfaking-news-how-to-counter-disinformation-campaigns-in-global-elections","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ddi.mohflo.net\/index.php\/2024\/04\/03\/unfaking-news-how-to-counter-disinformation-campaigns-in-global-elections\/","title":{"rendered":"&#8216;Unfaking&#8217; News: How to Counter Disinformation Campaigns in Global Elections"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"media_block\"><a href=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/eu-images.contentstack.com\/v3\/assets\/blt6d90778a997de1cd\/blt55969d94d05deb9e\/660b2fa09941292a16136ce4\/disinformation_Feng_Yu_Alamy_Stock_Photo.jpeg?ssl=1\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ddi.mohflo.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/unfaking-news-how-to-counter-disinformation-campaigns-in-global-elections.jpg?w=640&#038;ssl=1\" class=\"media_thumbnail\"><\/a><\/div>\n<div><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ddi.mohflo.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/unfaking-news-how-to-counter-disinformation-campaigns-in-global-elections.jpg?w=640&#038;ssl=1\" class=\"ff-og-image-inserted\"><\/div>\n<p class=\"ContentParagraph ContentParagraph_align_left\" data-testid=\"content-paragraph\"><span class=\"ContentText ContentText_variant_bodyNormal\" data-testid=\"content-text\"><span class=\"ContentText-BodyTextChunk ContentText-BodyTextChunk_bold\">COMMENTARY<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"ContentParagraph ContentParagraph_align_left\" data-testid=\"content-paragraph\"><span class=\"ContentText ContentText_variant_bodyNormal\" data-testid=\"content-text\">In recent global election cycles, the Internet and social media have facilitated the widespread dissemination of false news, misleading memes, and deepfake content, overwhelming voters. Given that it is difficult to directly compromise election systems used to vote and count votes, adversaries turn to the age-old psychological manipulation technique to get the desired outcomes: no hacking needed. With the emergence of generative artificial intelligence (AI) tools, the impact of disinformation campaigns is expected to escalate further. This has led to increased uncertainty and ambiguity regarding reality, with personal biases often shaping perceptions of truth.<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"ContentParagraph ContentParagraph_align_left\" data-testid=\"content-paragraph\"><span class=\"ContentText ContentText_variant_bodyNormal\" data-testid=\"content-text\">In a sense, disinformation is like a cyber threat: As security leaders, we realize that malware, phishing attempts, and other attacks are a given. But we put controls in place to minimize the impact, if not prevent it entirely. We develop defense strategies based on decades of historical knowledge and data to gain the best advantage.<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"ContentParagraph ContentParagraph_align_left\" data-testid=\"content-paragraph\"><span class=\"ContentText ContentText_variant_bodyNormal\" data-testid=\"content-text\">Today&#8217;s disinformation campaigns, however, are essentially a product of the last decade, and we have not yet designed a mature series of controls to counter it. But we need to. With <\/span><span class=\"ContentText ContentText_variant_bodyNormal\" data-testid=\"content-text\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.atlanticcouncil.org\/event\/elections-everywhere-all-at-once\/\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"ContentText-BodyTextChunk ContentText-BodyTextChunk_link\" rel=\"noopener\">83 national elections in 78 countries taking place in 2024<\/a><\/span><span class=\"ContentText ContentText_variant_bodyNormal\" data-testid=\"content-text\"> \u2014 a volume not expected to be matched until 2048 \u2014 the stakes have never been higher. A recent wave of troubling incidents and developments illustrate the many ways that adversaries are attempting to deceive the hearts and minds of the world&#8217;s voters:<\/span><\/p>\n<div data-component=\"basic-list\" class=\"BasicList BasicList_nestedLevel_0 BasicList_variant_unordered BasicList_limited\">\n<ul data-testid=\"basic-list-unordered\" class=\"BasicList-UnorderedList\">\n<li>\n<div class=\"BasicList-ListItem BasicList-ListItem_variant_unordered\" readability=\"8.373786407767\"><span data-component=\"icon\" data-name=\"Circle\" class=\"BasicList-ListIcon BasicList-ListIcon_variant_unordered\"><\/span><\/p>\n<div class=\"BasicList-Item\" readability=\"12.56067961165\">\n<p class=\"ContentParagraph ContentParagraph_align_left\" data-testid=\"content-paragraph\"><span class=\"ContentText ContentText_variant_bodyNormal\" data-testid=\"content-text\">In Europe, the French Foreign Minister accused Russia of setting up a <\/span><span class=\"ContentText ContentText_variant_bodyNormal\" data-testid=\"content-text\"><a href=\"https:\/\/apnews.com\/article\/france-russia-disinformation-campaign-websites-96de49e381cfa357fcd6d0e7d8ff1e48#:~:text=In%20a%20year%20of%20high,European%20soccer%20championship%20in%20Germany.\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"ContentText-BodyTextChunk ContentText-BodyTextChunk_link\" rel=\"noopener\">network of more than 190 websites intended to spread disinformation<\/a><\/span><span class=\"ContentText ContentText_variant_bodyNormal\" data-testid=\"content-text\"> to &#8220;destroy Europe&#8217;s unity&#8221; and &#8220;make our democracies exhausted&#8221; in seeking to discourage support for Ukraine. The network, codenamed &#8220;Portal Kombat,&#8221; has also sought to confuse voters, discredit certain candidates, and disrupt large sporting events like the Paris Olympics.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<li>\n<div class=\"BasicList-ListItem BasicList-ListItem_variant_unordered\" readability=\"6.8502994011976\"><span data-component=\"icon\" data-name=\"Circle\" class=\"BasicList-ListIcon BasicList-ListIcon_variant_unordered\"><\/span><\/p>\n<div class=\"BasicList-Item\" readability=\"9.4191616766467\">\n<p class=\"ContentParagraph ContentParagraph_align_left\" data-testid=\"content-paragraph\"><span class=\"ContentText ContentText_variant_bodyNormal\" data-testid=\"content-text\">In Pakistan, <\/span><span class=\"ContentText ContentText_variant_bodyNormal\" data-testid=\"content-text\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.mediasupport.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/Countering-Disinformation-in-Pakistan-2023.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"ContentText-BodyTextChunk ContentText-BodyTextChunk_link\" rel=\"noopener\">voters have been exposed<\/a><\/span><span class=\"ContentText ContentText_variant_bodyNormal\" data-testid=\"content-text\"> to false Covid-19 and anti-vaccination propaganda, online hate speech against religious groups, and attacks on women&#8217;s movements.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<li>\n<div class=\"BasicList-ListItem BasicList-ListItem_variant_unordered\" readability=\"7.5591603053435\"><span data-component=\"icon\" data-name=\"Circle\" class=\"BasicList-ListIcon BasicList-ListIcon_variant_unordered\"><\/span><\/p>\n<div class=\"BasicList-Item\" readability=\"10.671755725191\">\n<p class=\"ContentParagraph ContentParagraph_align_left\" data-testid=\"content-paragraph\"><span class=\"ContentText ContentText_variant_bodyNormal\" data-testid=\"content-text\">The World Economic Forum ranks foreign and domestic entities&#8217; or individuals&#8217; use of misinformation and disinformation as <\/span><span class=\"ContentText ContentText_variant_bodyNormal\" data-testid=\"content-text\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www3.weforum.org\/docs\/WEF_The_Global_Risks_Report_2024.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"ContentText-BodyTextChunk ContentText-BodyTextChunk_link\" rel=\"noopener\">the &#8220;most severe global risk&#8221;<\/a><\/span><span class=\"ContentText ContentText_variant_bodyNormal\" data-testid=\"content-text\"> for the next two years \u2014 over extreme weather events, cyberattacks, armed conflicts, and economic downturns.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"ContentParagraph ContentParagraph_align_left\" data-testid=\"content-paragraph\"><span class=\"ContentText ContentText_variant_bodyNormal\" data-testid=\"content-text\">Let&#8217;s be clear here about the difference between disinformation and misinformation: The latter is information that is wrong, but not intended for mass distribution. The &#8220;fake news&#8221; distributor may not even be aware of its inaccuracies.<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"ContentParagraph ContentParagraph_align_left\" data-testid=\"content-paragraph\"><span class=\"ContentText ContentText_variant_bodyNormal\" data-testid=\"content-text\">Disinformation, on the other hand, occurs when an entity (such as an adversarial nation-state) knowingly leverages misinformation with the intent of viral distribution.<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"ContentParagraph ContentParagraph_align_left\" data-testid=\"content-paragraph\"><span class=\"ContentText ContentText_variant_bodyNormal\" data-testid=\"content-text\">The psychological manipulation jeopardizes the stability of democratic institutions. Think of disinformation farms as a large office floor with hundreds or even thousands of people doing nothing but making up authentic-looking blogs, articles, and videos to target candidates and positions that contradict their agendas. Once unleashed on social media, these falsehoods spread rapidly, reaching millions and masquerading as real events.<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"ContentParagraph ContentParagraph_align_left\" data-testid=\"content-paragraph\"><span class=\"ContentText ContentText_variant_bodyNormal\" data-testid=\"content-text\">How can citizens best protect themselves from these campaigns to maintain a firm grasp on what&#8217;s real and what isn&#8217;t? How can cybersecurity leaders help?<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"ContentParagraph ContentParagraph_align_left\" data-testid=\"content-paragraph\"><span class=\"ContentText ContentText_variant_bodyNormal\" data-testid=\"content-text\">Here are four best practices.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2 class=\"ContentText ContentText_variant_h2 ContentText_align_left\" data-testid=\"content-text\" id=\"DYOV: Do Your Own Vetting\">DYOV: Do Your Own Vetting<\/h2>\n<p class=\"ContentParagraph ContentParagraph_align_left\" data-testid=\"content-paragraph\"><span class=\"ContentText ContentText_variant_bodyNormal\" data-testid=\"content-text\">A meme or GIF doesn&#8217;t stand alone as a credible source of information. Not all professional-looking publications are credible or accurate. Not every statement from a trusted source may be their own. It\u2019s too easy to create fake videos using AI-generated images. There are few arbiters of truth on the Internet, so buyer beware. Moreover, we can&#8217;t depend on social media platforms to monitor and eliminate disinformation \u2014 regardless of whether we agree or embrace it. <\/span><span class=\"ContentText ContentText_variant_bodyNormal\" data-testid=\"content-text\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.eff.org\/issues\/cda230\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"ContentText-BodyTextChunk ContentText-BodyTextChunk_link\" rel=\"noopener\">Section 230<\/a><\/span><span class=\"ContentText ContentText_variant_bodyNormal\" data-testid=\"content-text\"> has established immunity for online companies serving as publication resources for third-party content.<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"ContentParagraph ContentParagraph_align_left\" data-testid=\"content-paragraph\"><span class=\"ContentText ContentText_variant_bodyNormal\" data-testid=\"content-text\">It&#8217;s critical to look at different platforms and reconcile those with what government websites, real news outlets, and respected organizations such as the <\/span><span class=\"ContentText ContentText_variant_bodyNormal\" data-testid=\"content-text\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.ncsl.org\/about-us\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"ContentText-BodyTextChunk ContentText-BodyTextChunk_link\" rel=\"noopener\">National Conference of State Legislatures (NCSL)<\/a><\/span><span class=\"ContentText ContentText_variant_bodyNormal\" data-testid=\"content-text\"> are reporting. Inconsistencies should serve as a warning sign. Also, when seeking out biases from the information source, always ask, &#8220;Why should I believe this? Who is the author? What is their interest in this position?&#8221;<\/span><\/p>\n<h2 class=\"ContentText ContentText_variant_h2 ContentText_align_left\" data-testid=\"content-text\" id=\"2. Avoid Becoming Part of the Problem\">2. Avoid Becoming Part of the Problem<\/h2>\n<p class=\"ContentParagraph ContentParagraph_align_left\" data-testid=\"content-paragraph\"><span class=\"ContentText ContentText_variant_bodyNormal\" data-testid=\"content-text\">Social media makes it <\/span><span class=\"ContentText ContentText_variant_bodyNormal\" data-testid=\"content-text\"><span class=\"ContentText-BodyTextChunk ContentText-BodyTextChunk_italic\">too<\/span><\/span><span class=\"ContentText ContentText_variant_bodyNormal\" data-testid=\"content-text\"> easy to run with a post or video that presents a version of &#8220;truth&#8221; that is anything but. Architects of disinformation campaigns depend upon individual users to spread their messages, i.e., &#8220;It came from my sibling\/boss\/neighbor, so it must be true.&#8221; Again, DYOV before passing anything along. Be judicious about clicking on &#8220;forward&#8221; and &#8220;like&#8221; buttons to avoid being an engine of these campaigns.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2 class=\"ContentText ContentText_variant_h2 ContentText_align_left\" data-testid=\"content-text\" id=\"3. Follow Watchdogs\">3. Follow Watchdogs<\/h2>\n<p class=\"ContentParagraph ContentParagraph_align_left\" data-testid=\"content-paragraph\"><span class=\"ContentText ContentText_variant_bodyNormal\" data-testid=\"content-text\">Organizations like the Netherlands-based <\/span><span class=\"ContentText ContentText_variant_bodyNormal\" data-testid=\"content-text\"><a href=\"https:\/\/defenddemocracy.eu\/about\/\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"ContentText-BodyTextChunk ContentText-BodyTextChunk_link\" rel=\"noopener\">Defend Democracy<\/a><\/span><span class=\"ContentText ContentText_variant_bodyNormal\" data-testid=\"content-text\">, the University of Pennsylvania-based <\/span><span class=\"ContentText ContentText_variant_bodyNormal\" data-testid=\"content-text\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.factcheck.org\/\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"ContentText-BodyTextChunk ContentText-BodyTextChunk_link\" rel=\"noopener\">FactCheck.org<\/a><\/span><span class=\"ContentText ContentText_variant_bodyNormal\" data-testid=\"content-text\"> and Santa Monica, Calif.-based <\/span><span class=\"ContentText ContentText_variant_bodyNormal\" data-testid=\"content-text\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.rand.org\/research\/projects\/truth-decay\/fighting-disinformation.html\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"ContentText-BodyTextChunk ContentText-BodyTextChunk_link\" rel=\"noopener\">RAND Corp.<\/a><\/span><span class=\"ContentText ContentText_variant_bodyNormal\" data-testid=\"content-text\"> offer resources to better help distinguish fact from fiction. In the academic community, <\/span><span class=\"ContentText ContentText_variant_bodyNormal\" data-testid=\"content-text\"><a href=\"https:\/\/libguides.sdsu.edu\/c.php?g=447716&amp;p=3080925\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"ContentText-BodyTextChunk ContentText-BodyTextChunk_link\" rel=\"noopener\">San Diego State University&#8217;s University Library<\/a><\/span><span class=\"ContentText ContentText_variant_bodyNormal\" data-testid=\"content-text\"> and Stetson University&#8217;s <\/span><span class=\"ContentText ContentText_variant_bodyNormal\" data-testid=\"content-text\"><a href=\"https:\/\/guides.stetson.edu\/c.php?g=431404&amp;p=4247905\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"ContentText-BodyTextChunk ContentText-BodyTextChunk_link\" rel=\"noopener\">duPont-Ball Library<\/a><\/span><span class=\"ContentText ContentText_variant_bodyNormal\" data-testid=\"content-text\"> maintain a list of watchdog groups, databases, and other resources.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2 class=\"ContentText ContentText_variant_h2 ContentText_align_left\" data-testid=\"content-text\" id=\"4. Take a Leadership Stand\">4. Take a Leadership Stand<\/h2>\n<p class=\"ContentParagraph ContentParagraph_align_left\" data-testid=\"content-paragraph\"><span class=\"ContentText ContentText_variant_bodyNormal\" data-testid=\"content-text\">As cybersecurity professionals, we recognize that threats like brand impersonation and phishing occur beyond our controlled technology environments. We cannot block every email, and our controls won&#8217;t block or even detect impersonations on technology that we don&#8217;t control. Instead, we must actively promote cyber education and awareness so employees can learn about the latest phishing attempts and the dangers of clicking on unfamiliar links.<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"ContentParagraph ContentParagraph_align_left\" data-testid=\"content-paragraph\"><span class=\"ContentText ContentText_variant_bodyNormal\" data-testid=\"content-text\">We should take a similar, education-focused approach with disinformation campaigns. We can create employee awareness programs so they understand what to look for, even when the attempts do not involve our technology. We can even promote this knowledge through various platforms \u2014 internal company communications, public-facing blogs, articles \u2014 where we have a prominent voice. Offer credible and contextual resources against which they can vet information.<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"ContentParagraph ContentParagraph_align_left\" data-testid=\"content-paragraph\"><span class=\"ContentText ContentText_variant_bodyNormal\" data-testid=\"content-text\">Unfortunately, disinformation \u2014 especially during political seasons \u2014 cannot be avoided, forcing us to field all relevant &#8220;facts&#8221; through appropriate vetting. However, tools enable everyone to do this while educating employees and the public as cybersecurity leaders. If they do so, 2024 may be remembered as the year when the global community decided that the truth matters.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.darkreading.com\/vulnerabilities-threats\/unfaking-news-how-to-counter-disinformation-campaigns-in-global-elections\">Source<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>COMMENTARY In recent global election cycles, the Internet and social<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":12,"featured_media":2853,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[809],"class_list":["post-2852","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized","tag-dark-reading"],"featured_image_urls":{"full":["https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ddi.mohflo.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/unfaking-news-how-to-counter-disinformation-campaigns-in-global-elections.jpg?fit=1800%2C1172&ssl=1",1800,1172,false],"thumbnail":["https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ddi.mohflo.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/unfaking-news-how-to-counter-disinformation-campaigns-in-global-elections.jpg?resize=150%2C150&ssl=1",150,150,true],"medium":["https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ddi.mohflo.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/unfaking-news-how-to-counter-disinformation-campaigns-in-global-elections.jpg?fit=300%2C195&ssl=1",300,195,true],"medium_large":["https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ddi.mohflo.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/unfaking-news-how-to-counter-disinformation-campaigns-in-global-elections.jpg?fit=640%2C417&ssl=1",640,417,true],"large":["https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ddi.mohflo.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/unfaking-news-how-to-counter-disinformation-campaigns-in-global-elections.jpg?fit=640%2C417&ssl=1",640,417,true],"1536x1536":["https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ddi.mohflo.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/unfaking-news-how-to-counter-disinformation-campaigns-in-global-elections.jpg?fit=1536%2C1000&ssl=1",1536,1000,true],"2048x2048":["https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ddi.mohflo.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/unfaking-news-how-to-counter-disinformation-campaigns-in-global-elections.jpg?fit=1800%2C1172&ssl=1",1800,1172,true],"chromenews-featured":["https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ddi.mohflo.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/unfaking-news-how-to-counter-disinformation-campaigns-in-global-elections.jpg?fit=1024%2C667&ssl=1",1024,667,true],"chromenews-large":["https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ddi.mohflo.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/unfaking-news-how-to-counter-disinformation-campaigns-in-global-elections.jpg?resize=825%2C575&ssl=1",825,575,true],"chromenews-medium":["https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ddi.mohflo.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/unfaking-news-how-to-counter-disinformation-campaigns-in-global-elections.jpg?resize=590%2C410&ssl=1",590,410,true]},"author_info":{"display_name":"Dark Reading","author_link":"https:\/\/ddi.mohflo.net\/index.php\/author\/darkreading\/"},"category_info":"<a href=\"https:\/\/ddi.mohflo.net\/index.php\/category\/uncategorized\/\" rel=\"category tag\">Uncategorized<\/a>","tag_info":"Uncategorized","comment_count":"0","jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ddi.mohflo.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/unfaking-news-how-to-counter-disinformation-campaigns-in-global-elections.jpg?fit=1800%2C1172&ssl=1","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/ddi.mohflo.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2852","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/ddi.mohflo.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/ddi.mohflo.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ddi.mohflo.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/12"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ddi.mohflo.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2852"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/ddi.mohflo.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2852\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ddi.mohflo.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2853"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/ddi.mohflo.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2852"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ddi.mohflo.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2852"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ddi.mohflo.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2852"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}