Andrea Little Limbago - Bots, Trolls, and Warriors: The Modern Adversary Playbook
Adversaries increasingly integrate ‘traditional’ computer attack vectors with advances in automation and the power of disinformation to reach a wider range of targets and achieve a wider range of objectives. Increasingly, these bots, trolls and warriors are employed simultaneously to achieve strategic impact and surprise. Bots reflect the implementation of automation and machine learning, and manifest in everything from widespread DDoS to malvertising to social bots. Trolls represent groups or individuals who leverage online forums to influence opinions, perspectives, and achieve specific objectives. Finally, cyber warriors are increasingly brazen and leverage both tried and true techniques as well as highly customized attacks. To counter this playbook, defenders must similarly pursue socio-technical innovations. The stakes are high, as it has far-reaching impact on stability, democracy, security and privacy for the foreseeable future.