Collaborate Disseminate
Research published by a Ukrainian think tank shows a network of at least 88 local Telegram channels.
The post Network of hyperlocal Russian Telegram channels spew disinformation in occupied Ukraine appeared first on CyberScoop.
The operation is just one of many information operations multiple nations have conducted in relation to Russia’s war in Ukraine.
The post Mandiant: Belarusian disinformation operation pushes phony organ harvesting tale appeared first on CyberScoop.
Continue reading Mandiant: Belarusian disinformation operation pushes phony organ harvesting tale
The analysis shows that what was thought of as a straightforward DDoS tool was so much more.
The post FSB’s Fronton DDoS tool was actually designed for widespread ‘massive’ fake info campaigns, researchers say appeared first on CyberScoop.
Former DHS Secretary Michael Chertoff and former Deputy Attorney General Jamie Gorelick will lead a review of DHS’s disinformation work and help Secretary Mayorkas determine how to continue.
The post DHS halts Disinformation Governance Board amid strong backlash appeared first on CyberScoop.
Continue reading DHS halts Disinformation Governance Board amid strong backlash
The DHS rollout of the Disinformation Governance Board has been criticized for being too vague about the details of what the board will do.
The post Backlash to DHS Disinformation Governance Board grows, fueled in part by misinformation appeared first on CyberScoop.
The Biden administration on Thursday sanctioned Russian oligarchs and organizations for their role in spreading disinformation and supporting Russian President Vladimir Putin’s war in Ukraine, among them a news agency the Treasury Department says has ties to a Russian cyber-espionage and offensive unit. The sanctions targeted nine employees of InfoRos, a nominal news agency primarily run by the GRU, which controls the Russian military intelligence service and operates its own special forces units. According to the Treasury Department, the GRU’s 72nd Main Intelligence Information Center, a unit within Russia’s Information Operations Troops, functions as Russia’s “military force for conducting cyber espionage, influence, and offensive cyber operations” and is InfoRos’ operator. In a news release, the Treasury Department said InfoRos is a network of more than 1,000 websites which “spread false conspiracy narratives and disinformation promoted by GRU officials.” For example, in early December, 2021, Treasury officials said one Ukraine-based InfoRos […]
The post Treasury Department sanctions alleged Russian cyber-espionage, disinformation sources appeared first on CyberScoop.
In recent days, social media companies have gotten more active in stemming the flow of official Russian propaganda, as well tackling sneakier efforts to spread disinformation about Ukraine. The steps follow pressure from policymakers in the U.S. and elsewhere for social media companies to counter narratives from Russia as it conducts its military offense. Meta, the parent company of Facebook and Instagram, said Monday that it had removed about 40 accounts based out of Russia and Ukraine posing as legitimate news sources, which were pushing the narrative that the West had betrayed Ukraine and that Ukraine was a failed state. It also said it had taken steps to counter hacking threats to Facebook members from Ghostwriter, a suspected Russia- and Belarus-linked disinformation and hacking operation. Also Monday, Twitter said it would add labels to accounts sharing links to Russian state-affiliated media outlets, and was “taking steps to significantly reduce the […]
The post Facebook, Twitter, Google intercept Russian propaganda, disinformation about Ukraine appeared first on CyberScoop.
In recent days, social media companies have gotten more active in stemming the flow of official Russian propaganda, as well tackling sneakier efforts to spread disinformation about Ukraine. The steps follow pressure from policymakers in the U.S. and elsewhere for social media companies to counter narratives from Russia as it conducts its military offense. Meta, the parent company of Facebook and Instagram, said Monday that it had removed about 40 accounts based out of Russia and Ukraine posing as legitimate news sources, which were pushing the narrative that the West had betrayed Ukraine and that Ukraine was a failed state. It also said it had taken steps to counter hacking threats to Facebook members from Ghostwriter, a suspected Russia- and Belarus-linked disinformation and hacking operation. Also Monday, Twitter said it would add labels to accounts sharing links to Russian state-affiliated media outlets, and was “taking steps to significantly reduce the […]
The post Facebook, Twitter, Google intercept Russian propaganda, disinformation about Ukraine appeared first on CyberScoop.
The U.S. Department of Justice is closing down its controversial “China Initiative,” instead launching a broader strategy toward countering multiple threats from several countries, a senior department official said Wednesday. The new “Strategy for Countering Nation-State Threats” will focus the department’s resources on multiple concurrent threats from China, Russia, Iran and North Korea, such as transnational repression, foreign malign influence and cyberthreats, said Assistant Attorney General Matthew Olsen in remarks at George Mason University. “We see nations such as China, Russia, Iran and North Korea becoming more aggressive and more capable in their activity than ever before,” Olsen said, adding that the new strategy “is threat driven,” and an attempt to counter malign activity from multiple countries, not just China. The China Initiative — launched during the Trump administration to group espionage, intellectual property theft and cybecrime cases involving Chinese suspects under one effort — was criticized for alleged racial […]
The post DOJ drops Trump-era ‘China Initiative’ but remains focused on nation-state threats appeared first on CyberScoop.
Continue reading DOJ drops Trump-era ‘China Initiative’ but remains focused on nation-state threats
The U.S. Treasury Department on Thursday sanctioned four current and former Ukrainian government officials for allegedly supporting Russian influence operations to destabilize Ukraine, including one who gathered information on Ukraine’s critical infrastructure, a frequent target of Kremlin cyberattacks. Taras Kozak and Oleh Voloshyn — two active members of parliament — acted at the behest of the Russian Federal Security Service (FSB), Treasury said, as did former Ukrainian officials Vladimir Sivkovich and Volodymyr Oliynyk. “In 2021, Oliynyk worked at the direction of the FSB to gather information about Ukrainian critical infrastructure,” the department explained. “As in previous Russian incursions into Ukraine, repeated cyber operations against Ukraine’s critical infrastructure are part of Russia’s hybrid tactics to threaten Ukraine.” Ukrainian officials are already in the midst of blaming Russia for cyberattacks last week on its government agencies. While Treasury delivered the sanctions one day after President Joe Biden predicted Russia would invade Ukraine, […]
The post Treasury sanctions Ukrainian officials over operations for Russian FSB appeared first on CyberScoop.
Continue reading Treasury sanctions Ukrainian officials over operations for Russian FSB