Today is Independence Day in the USA. We celebrate our break from empirical rule and our construction and installation of a democratic republic. You may be wondering how this relates to cybersecurity. Disinformation. Disinformation is a common technique used in cybersecurity by offensive and defensive teams. It was used in the American Revolutionary War by both sides.
The British and Colonial forces found having as much information about the other vital to success. George Washington’s spy ring is very well documented, despite his best efforts to keep it in the ether. Each side also engaged in disinformation campaigns. While plenty of misinformation flew about, it was the disinformation that had the desired effect.
Misinformation is incorrect information. It is unintentionally wrong.
Disinformation is incorrect by design. It is not simply inaccurate; it is cultivated to guide any recipients of it in a specific direction.
Arguably the most important use of disinformation in the American Revolution was carried out by James Armistead (La Fayette). He posed as a runaway slave and offered to work as a servant for the British. He finds himself as the personal servant to Lord Cornwallis, a British general. As a servant, the officers spoke freely in front of Armistead, taking his loyalty as a foregone conclusion. Armistead listened closely and took the information he overheard to directly General Washington.
Washington welcomed Armistead’s help and sent him back to Cornwallis carrying false information. One of these deliveries of disinformation cost Cornwallis his sword. He intended to move troops further north along the Chesapeake Bay. This would have ruined Washington’s plans to pin the bulk of the British forces at Yorktown, Virginia. Armistead dispatched the well-crafted disinformation to Cornwallis who swallowed it hook, line, and sinker. As a result, the British forces find themselves in Washington’s trap. The British troops surrender after the Siege at Yorktown, just as Washington designed it.
Disinformation is used today in much the same way. Inaccurate information is shaped to be convincing to targets. It is widely disseminated to catch as many victims as possible. Cybercriminals using misinformation are not using a 21st century technique. They are hacking old school.
Details on James Armistead came from https://www.ouramericanrevolution.org/index.cfm/people/view/pp0053
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