Moscow uses hacks globally to divide and confuse

Subject

Disinformation campaigns.

Significance

The Washington Post published a piece of investigative reporting (paywall) on June 23 on the response of US President Barack Obama's administration to Russian hacking during the US presidential elections in 2016. Washington's slow and limited reaction to the campaign had baffled cybersecurity commentators.

Impacts

• Disinformation campaigns have the potential to erode confidence in democracies and exacerbate political polarisation.
• Social media outlets will come under greater pressure to regulate their platforms.
• Governments will invest further and spend more time enhancing internal cyber security procedures.