Relentless Russian cyberattacks have given way to a hybrid war in Ukraine, a recent Microsoft report finds. “The [cyber]attacks not only degraded the systems of institutions in Ukraine, but have also sought to disrupt people’s access to reliable information and critical life services on which civilian depend, and have attempted [ … ]
Russia
Costa Rica under Cyberattack by Russian Conti Gang
The Costa Rican government declared a state of emergency on May 8, following cyberattacks by the Russian Conti ransomware gang “on more than 20 public institutions and more than a dozen high-profile private institutions,” Esteban Jiménez, chief technology officer of the Costa Rican cybersecurity firm Atticyber, told Diálogo. The Ministry [ … ]
Russia Leads the Way in Disinformation Campaigns, Study Finds
Russia is the leading promoter of disinformation, according to a report by the Australian Strategic Policy Institute (ASPI) that analyzed public Twitter datasets. Iran, China, and Venezuela also ranked high in the March 30 report, Understanding Global Disinformation and Information Operations. The study analyzed Twitter messages sent by state actors [ … ]
Russian Disinformation Threatens Presidential Elections in Colombia
Colombia remains on alert to the possibility of foreign interference in the May 29 presidential elections. The U.S. and Colombian governments are cooperating to prevent this, Colombia’s Radio Cadena Nacional (RCN) said on April 26. “We are concerned [...] about the possible intervention of other countries in the elections. We [ … ]
Cuba Pushes Kremlin Disinformation
In the editorial offices of Cuba’s only truly national newspaper, Granma, the Cold War is seemingly in the air. Weeks before the start of Russia’s unprovoked invasion of Ukraine, the Cuban regime was already making clear its support for Moscow with silences and half-truths. And since the beginning of the [ … ]
Gaming Industry Stops Russia’s Fake News
In Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, hackers have used video game scenes, allowing them to go viral, which simulate alleged attacks and advances by Russian troops in an attempt to change the narrative and disinform. In response, the video game industry has curbed the creation of fake news and deepfakes (a [ … ]
Russia’s Tools for Disinformation and Propaganda in Latin America
RT en Español is a Spanish-language subscription-based television channel of the Russian-based RT network, formally known as Russia Today. RT en Español was launched in 2009 and is also known as Actualidad RT, and now accounts for over 18 million followers on Facebook and 3.5 million on Twitter. Sputnik is [ … ]
Russia Denies Massacre in Ukraine Despite Global Shock
Sometimes, not even all the disinformation or fake news is able to change public opinion. Such is the case of the killings Russian troops perpetrated in the town of Bucha, located 15 miles northwest of Kyiv, which Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba classified as the worst massacre in Europe since [ … ]
Russian Propaganda Misleads Audiences in Latin America
Kremlin-controlled media outlets such as RT and Sputnik have amassed a large number of Spanish-speaking followers on social media platforms and spread disinformation to millions, news site Insider reported April 7, 2022. RT is now the third most shared site on Twitter with Spanish-language information about the Ukraine invasion, AP [ … ]
Colombia Arrests Russian Citizen for Financing Acts Directed at Destabilizing the Country
On March 30, the Colombian Army and the Attorney General’s Office captured in the town of Suba, Bogotá, Russian citizen Sergei Vagin and six Colombians, alleged members of a criminal network that moved millions of dollars to finance operations against the Public Force and organize protests in the country since [ … ]
Deepfake Videos, Russia’s Disinformation Weapon in Ukraine
Russia uses artificial intelligence to spread deepfakes — a combination of the concepts deep learning and fake — on the internet; that is, montages of altered images or videos in which a person does or says things that they never did or said. This is among the disinformation weapons cybercriminals [ … ]
Russia Sows Disinformation in Latin America
As Russia continues to shell neighboring Ukraine, the Kremlin also pushes its false narrative on Latin American social networks, pointing to the United States as the bigger problem, and portraying Russians as victims of the war, the AP news agency reported April 1. “Though many of the claims have been [ … ]