The Growth of Global Election Disinformation - The Role and Methodology of Government-Linked Cyber Actors

Explore a 30-minute Black Hat conference talk that delves into a prolific disinformation campaign targeting Colombia's May 2022 elections. Uncover how Venezuelan leftist organizations manipulated social media narratives to support Gustavo Petro, a leftist Colombian Presidential Candidate and former M-19 revolutionary member. Examine the tactics employed by the now-suspended Twitter account @ChalecosAmarill, which blended true and misleading information to advocate for presidential candidates with foreign policy positions favorable to U.S. adversaries. Learn how this approach increased legitimacy and made disinformation difficult to detect. Investigate the account's engagement with bot and sock puppet networks involved in information operations aimed at influencing the digital environment, particularly in Colombia. Gain insights from Nisos researcher Sandra Quincoses on the growing threat of global election disinformation and the methodologies used by government-linked cyber actors.