The Missing Case of Disinformation from the Cybersecurity Risk Continuum: A Comparative Assessment of Disinformation with Other Cyber Threats

Abstract

This study examines the phenomenon of disinformation as a threat in the realm of cybersecurity. We have analyzed multiple authoritative cybersecurity standards, manuals, handbooks, and literary works. We present the unanimous meaning and construct of the term cyber threat. Our results reveal that although their definitions are mostly consistent, most of them lack the inclusion of disinformation in their list/glossary of cyber threats. We then proceeded to dissect the phenomenon of disinformation through the lens of cyber threat epistemology; it displays the presence of the necessary elements required (i.e., threat agent, attack vector, target, impact, defense) for its appropriate classification. To conjunct this, we have also included an in-depth comparative analysis of disinformation and its similar nature and characteristics with the prevailing and existing cyber threats. We, therefore, argue for its recommendation as an official and actual cyber threat. The significance of this paper, beyond the taxonomical correction it recommends, rests in the hope that it influences future policies and regulations in combatting disinformation and its propaganda.

Disinformation campaigns - from international politics to societal cybersecurity threat

“…This fact that governmental cybersecurity capabilities mitigate the impacts of disinformation campaigns coincides with the lament of Caramancion et al (2022), who argue for disinformation being labeled as a cybersecurity threat. Disinformation has a strong footprint in the cyber threat landscape -disinformation shares common characteristics with many other threats, such as persistence of APT's (Caramancion et al, 2022, p.15).…”

“…Thus, in essence Lanoszka (2019) argues elaborately how disinformation is very difficult to perceive as an existential threat that malicious nations can project on to others. Even as the threat yet remains, mainly from the societal perspective (De Cock Buning, 2018;Jithesh, 2019;Caramancion et al 2022), should disinformation and disinformation campaigns be seen from a less intense view? National interests can often tempt governments to overreact to what Lanoszka (2019) argues as not so serious a threat, by limiting the freedoms of citizens.…”

“…Disinformation has a strong footprint in the cyber threat landscape -disinformation shares common characteristics with many other threats, such as persistence of APT's (Caramancion et al, 2022, p.15). Caramancion et al (2022) also articulate that disinformation can be used to mask malicious applications, and it can be combined with DDoS attacks to create false attribution (p.14). Disinformation could also be a way to evade investigative resources of the target nation, as an example when using ransomware and demanding ransom -even if the motive is only to create disruption and not financial gain.…”

A Secure Framework for Blockchain Transactions Protection

“…In the face of complex attack forms and serious attack consequences, relying on the technical strength of individuals or a single organization can only obtain partial attack information [5,6], cannot build a complete attack chain [7,8], and cannot accurately and effectively prevent attackers. Network security threat intelligence sharing and utilization, as a technical method of "exchanging space for time", can timely use the efficient threat intelligence generated in other networks to improve the response capability of the defender and shorten the response time, thereby forming a mechanism to alleviate the asymmetric situation of attack and defense [9][10][11].…”

Design Lessons from Building Deep Learning Disinformation Generation and Detection Solutions

“…The great task in life is to find reality." (Iris Murdoch) Through their capability of producing confusion, deception, and polarization by influencing human beliefs and behaviour, social media manipulation mechanisms like disinformation and misinformation were recently positioned among the most impactful cyber threats (Caramancion et al, 2022;ENISA, 2022). Such mechanisms have attested records from millennia's ago in the disinformation campaigns conducted in Egypt surrounding the Battle of Kadesh where a wrong location was given to Pharaoh Ramses II, to more recent collection of articles published by The Sun named the Great Moon Hoax in 1835 about the life and culture found on the Moon, and during the World Wars regarding the demonization of parties involved and propaganda (Choras et al, 2021).…”