Ambiguous Self-Induced Disinformation (ASID) Attacks: Weaponizing a Cognitive Deficiency
Abstract:
Humans quickly and effortlessly impose context onto ambiguous stimuli, as demonstrated through psychological projective testing and ambiguous figures. This feature of human cognition may be weaponized as part of an information operation. Such Ambiguous Self-Induced Disinformation (ASID) attacks would employ the following elements: the introduction of a culturally consistent narrative, the presence of ambiguous stimuli, the motivation for hypervigilance, and a social network. ASID attacks represent a low-risk, low-investment tactic for adversaries with the potential for significant reward, making this an attractive option for information operations within the context of grey-zone conflicts.
AUTHORS
Chief Executive Officer, Beyond Layer Seven,
United States
and
Cognitive Security Institute, Redmond,
Oregon, United States of America
Dr. Matthew Canham is the Executive Director of the Cognitive Security Institute and a former Supervisory Special Agent with the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI); he has a combined 21 years of experience in conducting research in cognitive security and human-technology integration. He currently holds an affiliated faculty appointment with George Mason University, where his research focuses on the cognitive factors in synthetic media social engineering and online influence campaigns. He was previously a research professor with the University of Central Florida, School of Modeling, Simulation, and Training’s Behavioral Cybersecurity program. His work has been funded by NIST (National Institute of Standards and Technology), DARPA (Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency), and the U.S. Army Research Institute. He has provided cognitive security awareness training to the NASA Kennedy Space Center, DARPA, MIT, U.S. Army DevCom, the NATO Cognitive Warfare Working Group, the Voting and Misinformation Villages at DefCon, and the Black Hat USA security conference. He holds a PhD in Cognition, Perception, and Cognitive Neuroscience from the University of California, Santa Barbara, in the U.S. and a SANS certification in mobile device analysis (GMOB), security auditing of wireless networks (GAWN), digital forensic examination (GCFE), and GIAC Security Essentials (GSEC).
Faculty of Health, Welfare and Organization, Østfold University College,
Halden, Norway
and
Faculty of Computer Science, Albstadt-Sigmaringen University,
Sigmaringen, Germany
Stefan Sütterlin is professor of cyberpsychology at Albstadt-Sigmaringen University (ASU) in Germany and adjunct professor at Östfold University College (OUC) in Norway. He is a member of the Executive Academic Board of the EU commission's European Security and Defence College. He holds a PhD in psychology from the University of Luxembourg and focuses his research currently on human factors in cybersecurity, cyberpsychology, decision making in hybrid domains, and social engineering and disinformation.
Faculty of Health, Welfare and Organisation, Østfold University College,
Norway
and
Department of Information Security and Communication Technology,
Norwegian University of Science and Technology,
Gjøvik,Norway
and
Department of Research, Gonzo Solutions,
Trondheim, Norway
Torvald F. Ask is a Neuroscientist. His research is focused within the fields of neuroergonomics and human performance in cybersecurity, cognitive warfare, and psychoneuroimmunology and cognitive control in stress management and disease. Ask holds a PhD in Information Security and Communication Technology from the Norwegian University of Science and Technology. He is currently affiliated with the Faculty of Health, Welfare and Organization at Østfold University College, Norway.
Faculty of Health, Welfare and Organisation, Østfold University College,
Halden, Norway
and
Department of Information Security and Communication Technology,
Norwegian University of Science and Technology,
Gjøvik,Norway
and
Norwegian Armed Forces Cyber Defence,
Lillehammer, Norway
Benjamin J. Knox holds a PhD in Human Factors in Cyber and Information Security from the Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU), and an MSc in Development Management from the Open University (UK). He is a former British Army officer and graduate from the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst (UK). Knox is a senior researcher for the Norwegian Armed Forces Cyber Defence (CYFOR), an Associate Professor at the Center for Cyber and Information Security (CCIS) at NTNU, and an affiliated researcher at the Norwegian Defence Research Establishment (FFI). He also holds an Associate Professor position with the Faculty of Health, Welfare and Organization at Østfold University College, Norway. Knox is currently involved in significant EU-funded cyber related projects (Digital EU and EDF), as well as chairing and supporting NATO activities within the Science and Technology Organisation (STO), and Allied Command & Transformation (ACT) in the field of Cognitive Warfare.
School of Modeling Simulation and Training, University of Central Florida,
Orlando, FL, USA
Lauren Glenister is a Research Scientist at Soar Technology Inc. and is focused on social media, cognitive psychology, and training. She is currently pursuing a doctorate in Modeling and Simulation at the University of Central Florida. She has earned both a Master of Science in Software Engineering and Bachelor of Science in Human Factors Psychology from Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, Daytona Beach, Flordia.
Maritime Academy, Tallinn University of Technology,
Tallinn, Estonia
Dr. Ricardo Lugo is a psychologist with experience as an applied practitioner, university lecturer, and researcher. He has consulting experience with elite sports, education, and health. His current research is focused on human factors and performance in cybersecurity, behavior, and cyberpsychology, and individual and team aspects of cyber incident response.
Published In
Journal of Information Warfare
The definitive publication for the best and latest research and analysis on information warfare, information operations, and cyber crime. Available in traditional hard copy or online.
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