Deep-Fake Information Warfare

The introduction of machine learning, and potentially Artificial Intelligence (AI), will vastly enhance capabilities for automating the reaching of mass audiences with tailored and plausible content. Consequently, they will render malicious actors even more powerful.

Information warfare, or targeted misinformation campaigns designed to confuse and obfuscate for political gain, are nothing new. Disinformation and so-called fake news have been around for generations.

Prior to the  invasion of Ukraine, there were suggestions that Russia was planning to produce a fake video showing a Ukrainian attack as a pretext for an invasion. At the time, US officials claimed to have evidence of a Russian plan to make a “very graphic” fake video of a Ukrainian attack on the Russian-speaking secessionist Donetsk region of Ukraine.

The alleged plot would involve using corpses, footage of blown-up buildings, fake Ukrainian military hardware, Turkish-made drones and actors playing the part of Russian-speaking mourners. 

The use of misleading “deepfakes” has risen dramatically across the globe. As with so much of emerging technology, deepfakes will inevitably become a part of armed conflict. While perfidious deepfakes like that would almost certainly violate the law of armed conflict, those that amount to ruses would not. Other considerations about the impact on the civilian population are also necessary to determine what uses of deepfakes in armed conflict would be legal.

Although this false flag operation did not materialise, deepfake technology is increasingly recognised as a potentially useful and effective tool in armed conflict.

Recent years have seen Deep-Fake technology become an effective weapon in times of war. In the recent war Russia has waged against Ukraine, suspicion has surfaced that Russia is planning to use fake videos as a pretext for invasion, using Deep-Fake, representing a Ukrainian attack.

Deep-Fake is a computer simulation of reality produced by AI, and it is capable of forging identities in videos. In the wake of Deep Fake videos being used for political purposes, concerns have grown that the technology might be harmful and affect democratic processes.

Deep-Fake technology has been described as a kind of information warfare when used to deceive the public or disrupt international relations.

As a result, this technology becomes a powerful tool for manipulating information by faking images, audio and creating materials that can be quickly shared via social media, thereby contributing to disinformation. In the absence of a policy of protection against Deep-Fake being used to disrupt international relations, the law provides a loophole which can be exploited.

According to the Lieber Institute at the US  West Point military academy it is hard to resolve the problem of a Deep-Fake campaign due to various psychological factors, and blocking or removing the content created with Deep-Fake technology may actually make things worse by attracting attention. In light of the data on Russia’s invasion plans for Ukraine, US President Biden chose to strategically share unclassified intelligence information about Russia’s plans with the public, in order to clear up any misinformation that might have spread. 

Deepfake technology will likely become too effective in armed conflicts to resist. While few uses of deepfakes would be prohibited by the law of armed conflict, any perfidious use would be unlawful. Other uses intended to terrorise the population or violate the constant care obligation would also violate the law.

Like the 2016 American Presidential Election, the 2017 French Presidential Election was the target of a Russian disinformation campaign that included the selected leaking of then-candidate Emmanuel Macron’s emails. While Macron still managed to win the election, a much more sinister future of information warfare is not far away.

University of Washington:    WestPoint:  WestPoint:     NATO CCDCOE:  Guardian:   CNN:   Hill Times

You Might Also Read: 

Zelensky Deepfake Tells Ukrainians To ‘lay down arms’:

 

« Technology’s Impact On Cyber Security
Beware Crypto Donation Requests For Ukraine »

CyberSecurity Jobsite
Check Point

Directory of Suppliers

ZenGRC

ZenGRC

ZenGRC (formerly Reciprocity) is a leader in the GRC SaaS landscape, offering robust and intuitive products designed to make compliance straightforward and efficient.

Directory of Cyber Security Suppliers

Directory of Cyber Security Suppliers

Our Supplier Directory lists 8,000+ specialist cyber security service providers in 128 countries worldwide. IS YOUR ORGANISATION LISTED?

XYPRO Technology

XYPRO Technology

XYPRO is the market leader in HPE Non-Stop Security, Risk Management and Compliance.

ManageEngine

ManageEngine

As the IT management division of Zoho Corporation, ManageEngine prioritizes flexible solutions that work for all businesses, regardless of size or budget.

LockLizard

LockLizard

Locklizard provides PDF DRM software that protects PDF documents from unauthorized access and misuse. Share and sell documents securely - prevent document leakage, sharing and piracy.

Libraesva

Libraesva

Libraesva secures email communications for organisations, helping them eliminate email borne threats, preserve email data and provide an environment for their people to communicate safely.

KvantPhone

KvantPhone

KvantPhone (formerly CryptTalk) is an easy-to-use, quantum resistant secure communication service designed for businesses and large organizations.

Optiv

Optiv

Optiv is a market-leading provider of end-to-end cyber security solutions. We help clients plan, build and run successful cyber security programs that achieve business objectives.

Trusted Objects

Trusted Objects

Trusted Object's mission is to provide state of the art security solutions and services enabling a strong root of trust for the IoT ecosystem.

Austrian Institute of Technology (AIT)

Austrian Institute of Technology (AIT)

AIT is Austria's largest research and technology organisation and a specialist in the key infrastructure issues of the future including data science and cybersecurity.

OpenZeppelin

OpenZeppelin

OpenZeppelin builds developer tools and performs security audits for distributed systems that power multimillion-dollar economies.

Cybersec Infohub

Cybersec Infohub

Cybersec Infohub is a Hong Kong government programme to enhance the exchange of cyber security information with industry and enterprises to jointly defend against cyber attacks.

Beyond Encryption

Beyond Encryption

Mailock by Beyond Encryption is a secure email solution that allows businesses to exchange email securely, safe in the knowledge that their email can only be read by their intended recipient.

Zemana

Zemana

Zemana provides innovative cyber-security solutions to deal with complex malicious software and other cyber threats.

World Cyber Security Summit

World Cyber Security Summit

World Cyber Security Summit, by Trescon, is a thought-leadership driven platform for CISOs who are looking to explore new-age threats and the technologies/strategies that can help mitigate them.

MorganFranklin Consulting

MorganFranklin Consulting

MorganFranklin Consulting is a management advisory firm that works with businesses and government to address complex and transformational technology and business objectives including cybersecurity.

Scrut Automation

Scrut Automation

Scrut Automation's mission is to make compliance less painful and time consuming, so that businesses can focus on running their business.

BlockSec

BlockSec

BlockSec is dedicated to building blockchain security infrastructure. The team is founded by top security researchers and experiencedexperts from both academia and industry.

Techsolidity

Techsolidity

Techsolidity is an emerging e-learning platform that offers a wide range of upskilling programs worldwide in areas including cybersecurity.

MLSecOps Community

MLSecOps Community

The MLSecOps Community is a collaborative space for machine learning security experts and industry leaders to connect and shape the future of AI/ML security.

CeTu

CeTu

CeTu - Data Orchestration for the Modern SOC. Strengthen security and optimize costs with the world's first AI-native platform for scaling and future-proofing your data stack.