Influence Operations in Cyberspace: Linking Prevention, Response and Resilience

Workshop organized by Matteo Bonfanti from the Center for Security Studies, ETH Zurich, Switzerland

Date: 12th February 2019

Place: external pageItalian Conference on Cybersecurity (ITASEC19), Pisa, Italy

On 12 February 2019, the CSS’ Matteo Bonfanti chaired a workshop on “Influence Operations in the Cyberspace: Linking Prevention, Response and Resilience”, which took place at this year’s Italian Conference on Cybersecurity (ITASEC19). Two other CSS cyber experts, Marie Baezner and Sean Cordey, also participated

The workshop dealt with the issue of “cyber-influence operations”, i.e. the illegitimate or illegal use of information and communication technologies (ICTs) and networked systems to affect an audience’s choices, ideas, opinions, emotions or motivations, and interfere with decision making processes.

The workshop consisted of two integrated discussion panels, each of which focuses on specific features of “cyber-influence” operations. The first panel discussed the political and legal implications that these operations raise at the national and international level. It also featured the presentation of a case study on cyber and information warfare during elections. The second panel investigated approaches and measures that could be adopted to counter cyber influence operations via social and other online media at the informational, technical/technological, policy and other levels. The workshop further aimed to outline the actions that governments and other relevant stakeholders could take to prepare, prevent, respond and recover from threats posed by illegitimate or illegal cyber influence operations or campaigns.

The topic is of particular relevance in light of the use of cyber influence operations during the 2016 US presidential election as well as elections in several European states and the referendum on Brexit. Such operations are also expected to occur during the forthcoming 2019 EU parliamentary elections.

Program

Panel 1: “Influence and Cyber-Influence: Is there Anything New under the Sun?”

14:30 - 16:00

Matteo E. Bonfanti, Center for Security Studies at ETH Zurich, “Preliminary Remarks: Scope, Content, and Goals of the Workshop”
Sean Cordey, Center for Security Studies at ETH Zurich “Inform and Influence Operations: A (long-lasting) Threat to National and International Security”
Francesca Capone, Scuola Sant’Anna di Pisa, “Influence and Cyber-Influence Operations under International Law”
Marie Baezner, Center for Security Studies at ETH Zurich, “Hot Spot Analysis: Cyber and Information Warfare in Elections in Europe and Beyond”

Panel 2: “Countering On-line and Social Media Influence Operations: Perspectives, Approaches, and Tools”

16.30-18:00

Matteo E. Bonfanti, Center for Security Studies at ETH Zurich: “An Intelligence-Based Approach to Countering Social Media Influence Operations”.
Lino Buono, InTheCyber: “Targeting Bots and Social Bots: Technical Challenges and Opportunities”
Davide Eynard, Università Svizzera Italiana, “Fabula AI: Fake News Detection in Social Networks using Artificial Intelligence”.
Ferruccio di Paolo, Communication Specialist Ministry of Interior (Civil Defence): “Countering On-Line Mis/Disinformation during Crises and Emergencies: Policies and Approaches”.