Hybrid
threats and disinformation are by no means a new phenomenon in today’s security
domain. However, with the unexpected outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic and the
rapid evolution of the world around us, a series of
invisible threats began taking a centre stage in the domain of security. Hybrid
threats and disinformation are such two examples, along with cyber malicious
activities.
Briefly, hybrid threats are broad and complex attacks on
governance, where a wide range of measures, such as cyber attacks and
disinformation, are applied to hybrid campaigns aimed to disrupt
critical services, undermine public trust in governmental institutions and to
exploit social vulnerabilities. On the other hand, disinformation,
which is a key component of the hybrid threat landscape, is the spread of fake news that targets users that
are vulnerable or receptive to perceived lack of trustworthy sources
of news. These untrustworthy news sources then tend to
reinforce some of the users’ preconceived notions and beliefs which could contribute to potential
destabilisation of societies.
Today,
we are surrounded by incomplete information, misleading information,
disinformation and, in fact, too much information. During the current COVID-19
crisis, the world did not only experience the outbreak of a global pandemic,
but it also experienced an outbreak in the overabundance of information, where both accurate and fake news, proliferated around the globe in a bid to share
information about the virus, its origin and effects, as
well as about the action of authorities being used to tackle the pandemic. In
turn, this has made it difficult for people to find reliable sources and the
guidance they need. This proliferation of information led to the coining of the
term ‘infodemic’, by the World Health Organisation.
Within
the European Union (EU), many Member States have been reporting problems with respect to the spread of
disinformation, as coordinated disinformation and hybrid threat campaigns that
originated from state and state-backed actors, sought to exploit the public
health crisis to advance their geopolitical interest, often by directly challenging the credibility
of the EU and its partners.
In
Malta, the Ministry for Foreign and European Affairs has acknowledged
and endorsed the threat posed by disinformation and hybrid threats, and has
been participating in coordinated and comprehensive cross-administrative discussions on hybrid
threats in order to ensure that EU Member States benefit from cooperation
within the Union as much as possible and to improve their capacity to combat
hybrid threats and disinformation.
Undoubtedly,
the spread of disinformation around COVID-19 has led to the potential harmful
consequences that could contribute to potential destabilisation, if not
cripple, whole societies. Understanding threats, developing responses and
sharing insights, are now key to find comprehensive approaches to
tackle hybrid threats and disinformation.
False
information, mistrust, and panic will undoubtedly keep
increasing, unless proper counter measures are enacted. The responsibility is
on us citizens, to counter further proliferation of
disinformation, by simply thinking before clicking and
reflecting on possible consequences before sharing information on today’s social media platforms.
