by The FBI and CISA warned of foreign threat actors like Iran and Russia launching digital disinformation campaigns to undermine the credibility of the 2024 U.S. presidential election, with the aim of sabotage the voting process. This early post-mortem examination examines the effects of these campaigns on the voting process.
Techopedia interviews experts to explore the success of foreign digital election meddling attempts in 2024, the evolution of election meddling tactics, and the impact of public awareness of false information and fake news on the election as the aftermath fades.
Elections Are Safer Than Ever the Day After, According to CISA
On November 6, 2024, Donald Trump became the US president with a landslide majority, marking the beginning of a new era of increased security in the country, as stated.
Easterly’s assertions are accurate, as minor disinformation attempts in the US this year connected to China, Iran, and Russia had no impact. The FBI and CISA played a role in preventing disinformation campaigns from leading to street riots, protests, or taking over the news cycle by identifying assaults early, informing the public, and defusing them.
In the 2024 presidential election, how successful was disinformation?
The FBI and CISA have warned that foreign adversaries, including Russia, are conducting more influence operations to divide Americans and undermine public confidence in U.S. elections. Erich Kron, KnowBe4’s Security Awareness Advocate, has expressed concern about the decrease in disinformation tactics by foreign actors in 2024 compared to previous years.
People are becoming more aware of misinformation and disinformation tactics, but threat actors’ tools have evolved, making it harder to identify and spread false information. Consumer Privacy Champion Chris Hauk reports that cybersecurity awareness initiatives are positively impacting the situation.
How cybersecurity experts improved their skills
DomainTools Security Advisor Malachi Walker explains that foreign actors were most effective in achieving their goals in the 2016 election, and since then, CISA has been proactive in preventing misinformation, safeguarding the country from foreign meddling, and managing operational and cybersecurity risks associated with the U.S. election system since it separated from the National Protection and Programs Directorate in 2018.
Cybersecurity experts agree that disinformation operations did not impact the election’s outcome, but some caution that their effects could lead to societal breakdown of trust and division, as discussed by Mayhem Security CEO David Brumley in an interview with Techopedia.
The cumulative effect of longer lead times and exaggeration of fear, uncertainty, and doubt (FUD) by political figures has made these strategies more successful in reaching and swaying the typical voter than in previous cycles, according to Brumley and Brunley, who also noted that these campaigns have a greater influence on public opinion over time.
What Is a Criminal Technology If Disinformation Is No Longer Effective?
The Cambridge Analytica controversy involved the theft of millions of Facebook users’ personal information, leading to the creation of psychological profiles. These profiles were then used to target political ads, exploiting psychological weaknesses and manipulating emotions. This incident highlights the potential for more successful strategies to influence voters during elections than disinformation.
Mayhem Security’s Brumley believes that while the Clinton Wikileaks incident and the Cambridge Analytica scandal significantly impacted voter engagement and sentiment, it would be a grave error to claim that these incidents had a greater influence than ongoing disinformation efforts. He argues that foreign influence aims to destroy social cohesion, foment discord, and create internal unrest, not to support a specific candidate, and their content differs.
The Bottom Line
The 2024 US presidential election was more secure due to decentralization, enhanced disinformation-fighting capabilities of CISA, Homeland Security, and the FBI, and increased social cybersecurity awareness. Analysts argue that foreign disinformation efforts misuse the democratic process to undermine confidence, create uncertainty, and create chaos.
Social media’s influence on modern society is undeniable, both natural and man-made. Experts suggest that psyops, including malicious use of personal data, may be more successful than current foreign actors’ strategies. It remains to be seen if threat actors will change course and use outdated or new technologies to influence voters, as the American electoral system appears safer than ever.
