The Russia watchRussia’s race baiting; fighting Russian election hacking; Russia’s influence operations, and more
· Former U.S. and European leaders start group to fight election hacking
· Maskirovkaand Russia’s attack on democracy
· The Cybersecurity 202: The Facebook ad dump shows the true sophistication of Russia’s influence operation
· Most Russian Facebook ads sought to divide Americans on race
· More than half of Russian Facebook ads focused on race
· Russian operatives tried to stir violence between pro-Beyonce and anti-Beyonce groups
· “I’m Scared of That World”
· Spain strengthens its defenses against disinformation campaigns
· Birth of a counternarrative: How fake news enters the mainstream.
· Oligarch linked to Cohen payment was flagged by FBI for possible ties to Russian intelligence
· Russian hackers found the ‘ultimate’ hacking tool buried in the supply chain of laptops
· 6 states hit harder by cyberattacks than previously known, new report reveals
Former U.S. and European leaders start group to fight election hacking (Nafeesa Syeed. Bloomberg)
U.S. and European governments have failed to effectively respond to growing threats from Russia and elsewhere to meddle in elections, according to former officials including former Vice President Joe Biden who say they’re going to help close that gap. More than 20 elections in North America and Europe over the next two years will provide ‘’fertile ground’’ for interference like that seen during the U.S. presidential election in 2016, former U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff told reporters Friday in Washington. “We’re at a stage now that it’s important to make sure we have a well-rounded exploration of the ups and downs of various policy choices, but that we also treat this with some urgency — we have elections this year,” said Chertoff
Maskirovka and Russia’s attack on democracy (Liam Toomey, Arapahoe Pinnacle)
The conclusion of the various American intelligence agencies is that Russia intentionally attacked the democratic process of the US in 2016 while supporting Donald Trump. But that is only the tip of the Russian iceberg. The American operation was part of the larger Project Lakhta, a global initiative by Russia to infest divisive ideas into the political discussions in democratic countries. This project employs deception as doctrine, or policy, is called maskirovka. Maj. Morgan Maier, in a military research paper about the subject, defined it by saying “Maskirovka’s central theme is the presentation of a believable falsehood to conceal the truth. Maskirovka seeks to create a false reality for the target audience.”
The Cybersecurity 202: The Facebook ad dump shows the true sophistication of Russia’s influence operation (Derek Hawkins, Washington Post)
The massive trove of Facebook ads House Intelligence Committee Democrats released Tuesday provides a stunning look into the true sophistication of the Russian government’s digital operations during the presidential election.
Most Russian Facebook ads sought to divide Americans on race (Emily Stewart, Vox)
According to a new analysis, most Russian-linked Facebook ads before and after the 2016 election were tied to race, crime, and policing.
