Smart cities, built on deeply interconnected digital systems, are increasingly vulnerable to hybrid threats in which cyberattacks and influence operations converge, making trust in technical and communicative infrastructures a central stability factor. Using Indonesia’s ambitious smart-city projects as an illustrative case, the article highlights how technological, societal and informational dynamics intersect, and how Cyfluence operations are becoming a pivotal risk within t

Cyfluence represents the convergence of technical infiltration, sabotage, data exfiltration, information manipulation, and narrative campaigns - all embedded within mutually reinforcing, influence-centered kill chains. It is the comprehensive expression of how power is applied and projected across today’s interconnected information environments.

Viral images featuring the ‘One Piece’ pirate flag, adopted as a symbol by protestors, made front page news and social media was soon flooded with cross-country messages of support and solidarity. In this CRC Spotlight article, we examine the potential operational implications of this development: how commercial ride hailing apps can serve as channels for on-the-ground support and how they might represent a new vector for Influence Operations.

West Africa’s Sahel has become a key cognitive battlefield. Its information space provides fertile ground for narrative warfare, a unique environment defined by a complex hybridity where traditional oral storytellers are reborn as digital influencers on platforms like TikTok. This fragile ecosystem is also a crowded arena for global actors like Russia, Turkey, and China competing to fill the strategic vacuum left by the departure of France and other western powers.

In this CRC spotlight we use a case study of online poll manipulation to explore a new perspective on counter Foreign Influence and Manipulation (FIMI) tactics. - how interactive online content, such as polls on controversial topics, can provide defenders and researchers alike with an intelligence windfall. And that by baiting threat actors into action, knowledge of their Tactics, Techniques, and Procedures (TTPs) can be leveraged as part of a defensive strategy.  

Recent studies and reports have drawn attention to Iran’s ongoing efforts to influence public debate in the United Kingdom. Building on this foundation, our analysis offers additional insights and highlights nuances that might otherwise be overlooked. This Spotlight demonstrates how our findings complement existing knowledge while raising new questions for continued research and monitoring.

This article, authored by Dr. Eka Nugraha Putra, explores the evolving legal challenges posed by organized disinformation in the digital age. Using the Indonesian context as a case study, it examines how existing laws fall short and what new legal approaches, particularly in the 2023 Criminal Code, might offer. The analysis raises broader questions about how legal systems can respond to hostile digital influence while safeguarding democratic principles and fundamental freedom

In here article, Prof. Alina Bârgăoanu examines the long-running Russian influence efforts that helped shape this outcome. The technical investigation was carried out with her team. The Findings: a digital influence network of more than 70 Facebook pages and 75 clickbait websites – linked via comment-layer tactics, powered by inauthentic or AI-generated accounts, and algorithmically amplified. The reach exceeded 28 million, far more than the number of Romanian-speaking users.

In her article, Maya Sobchuk analyzes the growing strategic partnership between China and Russia in the field of information and influence operations.

The Brinker platform has detected a YouTube-focused campaign targeting the automotive industry.

Russia’s Use of genAI in Disinformation and Cyber Influence: Strategy, Use Cases and Future Expectations Author: Dr. Christopher Nehring...

Cracking the Code: How AI Detects Social Media Impersonation Author: Osnat Mokryn The rise of online communication and the increasing...

With Germany’s snap elections set for February 2025, identifying and countering foreign interference is becoming increasingly relevant.

Emotional Insights and Their Potential for Tackling Fake News Author: Osnat Mokryn The contribution explores how emotions shape...

The Role of Trust and Familiarity in Navigating Digital News and Misinformation Author:  Osnat Mokryn In the digital age, trust and...

The Doppelganger operation a Russian online influence campaign targeting Western nations particulary Germany.

Germany in the Woes of Hostile Influence Author: Ari Ben Am Germany is facing a growing threat from foreign interference, particularly...

Author: Annemieke Lais Disinformation has become a pervasive threat to democratic societies, amplified by the rapid spread of information...