Tag Archive for: Presidential

Alex Stamos, director of Stanford Internet Observatory discusses domestic disinformation in the US Presidential Election

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LISBON, Portugal, Dec. 4, 2020 /PRNewswire/ —

  • According to Alex Stamos, director of Stanford Internet Observatory, along with the usual election disinformation tactics – trying to mislead voters on the mechanics of casting their ballot, or trying to discourage them from voting altogether – this year’s US presidential election saw a new phenomenon: people attempting to call into question the election results.
  • Stamos, formerly Facebook’s chief security officer,  said that, overall, social media platforms did a better job at preventing foreign disinformation on their sites than they did during the 2016 election. Comparing them head to head this time around, Stamos said YouTube  was “probably the most problematic”, with the least comprehensive policies around election disinformation.
  • Speaking at 100,000-attendee online conference Web Summit, Stamos is part of a line-up that includes European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen, tennis great Serena Williams and Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban.

Compared to the 2016 US presidential election, social media platforms did much better at preventing foreign disinformation  during this year’s election cycle. The bigger problem was domestic disinformation, said Alex Stamos, director at Stanford Internet Observatory.

Even though platforms improved, Stamos – who was Facebook’s chief security officer until 2018 – said that YouTube was the most problematic platform.

“The largest influencers get the least amount of enforcement, and we need to invert that,” he said.

Stamos’s comments came during  an interview with Eizabeth Dwoskin, Silicon Valley correspondent at the Washington Post, during the 100,000-attendee Web Summit.

Elaborating on YouTube’s challenges this election cycle, Stamos pointed out that influencers livestreamed far more than four years ago. Live video is especially hard to fact-check in a meaningful way, especially when influencers tried to erroneously claim election victory for Trump while votes were still being counted.

“Some of these people have live audiences that approach the daytime viewership of CNN, so you’re talking about YouTube effectively operating as a cable network,” he said.

Famously – and…

Source…

Fears Mount Over Russian and Chinese Hackers Targeting the 2020 U.S. Presidential Election – NBC New York

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  • On Sept. 10, Microsoft warned that the Russian military intelligence unit that had attacked the Democratic National Committee in 2016 was back.
  • This time, the company warned, the threats would be more sophisticated and target consultants, staff members, and other entities associated with both Democratic and Republican campaigns.
  • According to Specops Software, the United States has experienced more cyberattacks from hostile actors than any other nation, with 156 incidents classified as “significant” between May 2006 and June 2020.

As the 2020 presidential election approaches across America, voters have déjà vu and are concerned over the risk of hacking. On Sept. 10, Microsoft warned that the Russian military intelligence unit that had attacked the Democratic National Committee in 2016 was back. This time, the company warned, the threats would be more sophisticated and target consultants, staff members, and other entities associated with both Democratic and Republican campaigns.

Representatives for Microsoft were not available for comment, but on its blog, the company said that the Russian hacking group Strontium had attacked over 200 organizations, while the Chinese organization Zirconium had attacked people associated with both the election and the Biden campaign. The Iranian hacking group, Phosphorus, has attacked people affiliated with the Trump campaign.

The Biden and Trump campaigns both confirmed these cyberattacks in a recent CNN article, noting they remain vigilant against these threats, and will ensure that the campaign’s assets are secured. 

According to Specops Software, the United States has experienced more cyberattacks from hostile actors than any other nation, with 156 incidents classified as “significant” between May 2006 and June 2020. The company also found that these attacks are increasing. As a result, cybercrime is projected to cost the global economy $6 trillion per year as soon as 2021, according to Cybersecurity Ventures.

The state-sponsored hackers named in Microsoft‘s blog entry are all using tactics designed to compromise elections directly. Some of the methods are the same as those used in 2016, such as brute force compromises and spear…

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Microsoft seeks to disrupt Russian criminal botnet it fears could seek to sow confusion in the presidential election – The Washington Post

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  1. Microsoft seeks to disrupt Russian criminal botnet it fears could seek to sow confusion in the presidential election  The Washington Post
  2. Microsoft Disrupts Botnet Installing Ransomware  Infosecurity Magazine
  3. Microsoft takes action to disrupt botnet and combat ransomware – Asia News Center  Microsoft
  4. Microsoft takes down massive hacking operation that could have affected the election  CNN
  5. Microsoft attempts takedown of global criminal botnet  The Associated Press
  6. View Full Coverage on read more

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Cyber Cold War: U.S. Military Targeting Russian Data as 2020 Presidential Election Beckons – CCN.com

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Cyber Cold War: U.S. Military Targeting Russian Data as 2020 Presidential Election Beckons  CCN.com
“cyber warfare news” – read more