Following the news that researchers have identified an online manipulation campaign ahead of the Israeli elections, Corin Imai, Senior Security Advisor at DomainTools, offers the following commentary.
Corin Imai, Senior Security Advisor at DomainTools:
“This campaign is yet the latest demonstration of how the political game has changed. Cybersecurity is no longer a matter of protecting enterprises’ digital assets and data, but a responsibility towards the preservation of the democratic process. The meddling of Russia in the 2016 elections was just the most blatant example of disinformation campaigns aimed at pushing a certain political agenda, and it is not surprising that many more nation states, as well as independent groups, have since followed suit.
Regardless of who is behind this disinformation campaign – being that bots, or real people creating multiple accounts under fake names – and regardless of who commissioned it, any effort to sway the public opinion in a certain direction using fake information needs to be exposed. It is paramount that non-profit watchdogs, governmental bodies, cybersecurity firms and researchers around the world continue to provide their invaluable service to uncover fake news operations. Only with a collective effort will we be able to protect people’s right to make informed decisions based on objective facts.”
