2022 SPECIAL EDITION

Spotlight on Ukraine – Cybersecurity, Misinformation, AI in War and more

Curated by AI for Peace 

WHY A SPECIAL EDITION ON TECHNOLOGY AND WAR IN UKRAINE? 

In 2017 Russian President, Vladimir Putin said “Artificial intelligence is the future, not only for Russia but for all humankind”, reported RT. “It comes with colossal opportunities, but also threats that are difficult to predict. Whoever becomes the leader in the sphere will become the ruler of the world.”

Russia is one of the biggest spenders on defense in the world but still lags behind AI superpowers China and the US and Russia has been extremely eager to change that. Researchers identified more than 150 Russian AI-enabled military systems, including, military robotics, drones, and even an autonomous vehicle that is designed to deliver a retaliatory nuclear attack. We are highly unlikely to see the swarms of autonomous drones in this war, but what we can expect is an intensive collection of data and data processing supported by ML for making tactical decisions. And what we already see are intense cyberattacks impacting critical services and infrastructure, as well as the utilization of AI-powered social platforms to spread on-scale misinformation and disinformation about war. The war is being conducted not only by land, air, sea but in cyberspace as well.

Big tech companies are once again taking a role in war-affected countries and with fragile populations. Google and Facebook are blocking Russian state media in Ukraine. Along with Microsoft, they have also cut off state-backed outlets from using their advertising tools. Twitter is suspending accounts (sometimes mistakenly) that violate the company’s policies on fake and manipulated media. Google-owned YouTube has blocked channels run by Kremlin-backed separatists in eastern Ukraine. Google disabled Maps traffic data to protect civilians. Microsoft is keeping Ukraine informed about cyberattacks.  

This newsletter provides an overview of news, articles, webinars, and research papers about the recent developments in Ukraine and how war intersects with technology, AI, social media, cybersecurity and more.

AI AND WAR  

A.I. is on the front lines of the war in Ukraine, Fortune, 1 March 2022

Already, Ukraine has been using the Turkish-made TB2 drone, which can take off, land, and cruise autonomously, although it still relies on a human operator to decide when to drop the laser-guided bombs it carries. (The drone can also use lasers to guide artillery strikes.) Russia meanwhile has a “kamikaze” drone with some autonomous capabilities called the Lantset, which it reportedly used in Syria and could use in Ukraine. The Lantset is technically a “loitering munition” designed to attack tanks, vehicle columns, or troop concentrations. Once launched, it circles a predesignated geographic area until detecting a preselected target type. It then crashes itself into the target, detonating the warhead it carries.

Ukraine crisis: Satellite data firm asks for war images, BBC, 2 March 2022

Firms and space agencies that collect satellite imagery are being urged to share Ukraine and Eastern Europe data. The plea comes from Ukrainian-based satellite data firm EOS Data Analytics (EOSDA). It has said that it will put data suppliers in touch with Ukraine's deputy prime minister Mykhailo Fedorov. EOSDA's founder Max Polyakov said that it would provide "actionable intelligence" to those resisting the Russian invasion.

Russia’s AI Army: Drones, AI-Guided Missiles and Autonomous Tanks, 27 February 2022

In the age of AI, the weapons of war have become more technologically advanced than at any time in history. Russia’s military, as its incursion into Ukraine continues, is no exception. Russia is one of the biggest spenders on defense in the world, with World Bank figures pegging it at $62 billion in 2020, eclipsed only by the U.S. and China. All three nations have been testing a plethora of AI units and weapons. As far back as 2017, President Vladimir Putin had said that “whoever becomes the leader [in AI] will become the ruler of the world.” Here is a snapshot of Russia’s AI arsenal, some of which are being used against Ukraine.

AI: Decoded: Putin’s high-tech war — Making sense of AI systems — Deepmind controls nuclear fusion reactor, Politico, 23 February 2022

In his report, Bendett et al. identified more than 150 Russian AI-enabled military systems, including autonomous systems that operate in the air, underwater and on land. Russia has for example developed a system called the Poseidon, an autonomous vehicle resembling a torpedo that is designed to deliver a retaliatory nuclear strike. “Russia has made it very clear that it wants to be one of the leading … countries that conduct AI research and development,” Bendett said.

BIG TECH, SOCIAL MEDIA, MISINFORMATION AND DISINFORMATION

 Ukraine War Tests the Power of Tech Giants, 28 February 2022

Over the last few days, Google, Meta, Twitter, Telegram and others have been forced to grapple with how to wield that power, caught between escalating demands by Ukrainian, Russian, European Union and U.S. officials. On Friday, Ukrainian leaders pleaded with Apple, Meta and Google to restrict their services inside Russia. Then Google and Meta, which owns Facebook, barred Russian state-run media from selling ads on their platforms. Sundar Pichai, Google’s chief executive, also spoke with top European Union officials over how to counter Russian disinformation.

Facebook, Twitter remove disinformation accounts targeting Ukrainians, NBC News, 28 February 2022

Facebook and Twitter removed two anti-Ukrainian “covert influence operations” over the weekend, one tied to Russia and another with connections to Belarus, the companies said. One of the operations, a propaganda campaign featuring a website pushing anti-Ukraine talking points, was an offshoot of a known Russian disinformation operation. A Facebook spokesperson said it used computer-generated faces to bolster the credibility of fake columnists across several platforms, including Instagram.

Facebook and TikTok block Russian state media in Europe, 28 February 2022

Facebook, TikTok and Microsoft are cracking down on Kremlin-backed news outlets RT and Sputnik following the European Union's ban on Russian state media. A spokesperson for TikTok told NPR it was also blocking the two outlets in the EU. The moves mean people using the social media apps in EU countries won't be able to access pages or content posted by RT and Sputnik. Microsoft on Monday said it would drop RT's news apps from its smartphone app store, not display any RT or Sputnik content on its Microsoft Start news feed and MSN.com, and push the sites down in Bing search results.

What Can AI Do in the War Against Misinformation? GT, 28 February 2022

The misinformation and disinformation landscape is rapidly evolving, with false narratives continuing to impede critical areas like pandemic response and voter confidence and emerging as a tool in Russia’s bid against Ukraine. Organizations are bringing both human power and advanced technologies to the battle against misinformation. Attempts to prevent and mitigate false narratives center around pushing out reliable information so that individuals have an easy way to get the truth; debunking content to correct misconceptions; and flagging untrustworthy accounts to reduce the likelihood that people will read it.

Google disables Maps traffic data in Ukraine to protect citizens, The Verge, 28 February 2022

Google has temporarily disabled live traffic features offered by Google Maps in Ukraine to protect users’ safety as the country is invaded by neighboring Russia. The features use anonymous location data collected from Android smartphones to show where there are traffic delays on roads and which businesses and stores are busy. Experts say such data could offer insight into the progress of the invasion. One open source intelligence (OSINT) expert said he saw signs of the Russian invasion early last Thursday after spotting unusual “traffic jams” at the Ukrainian border on Google Maps.

Facebook failing to label 91% of posts containing Russian propaganda about Ukraine, 26 February 2022

In a new study, CCDH researchers analysed a sample of 3,593 articles posted by RT.com (formerly Russia Today), Sputnik News, TASS and Ruptly—a social media content producer owned by RT.com.  All of these outlets have been identified by the US State Department as “Kremlin-funded media” and part of “Russia’s disinformation and propaganda ecosystem”. Researchers then used Facebook’s own CrowdTangle tool to identify posts featuring the 100 most popular articles from this sample, to examine whether the platform applied warning labels stating that the content was from “Russia state-controlled media”. This revealed that 91% of 1,304 posts containing articles from Kremlin-funded media did not carry any warning labels.

Social media’s latest test: policing misinformation about Russia’s Ukraine invasion, Fortune, 25 February 2022

Facebook parent Meta announced a “special operations center” staffed by “experts and native speakers” to monitor content—though the company didn’t elaborate on their number or background. Twitter is suspending accounts (sometimes mistakenly) that violate the company’s policies on fake and manipulated media. Google-owned YouTube has blocked channels run by Kremlin-backed separatists in eastern Ukraine. Still, the lack of comprehensive action by YouTube and other social media giants to widely attack Russian propaganda will prompt questions about their enforcement of disinformation policies.

Meta’s Ongoing Efforts Regarding Russia’s Invasion of Ukraine, Meta, February 26, 2022

Update 1 March: In addition to restricting access to RT and Sputnik across the EU, we are now globally demoting content from Facebook Pages and Instagram accounts from Russian state-controlled media outlets and making them harder to find across our platforms. Read more here.

If Russia Invades Ukraine, TikTok Will See It Up Close, Wired, 17 February 2022

If Russia invades Ukraine, don’t expect the TikToks to stop. From small Belarusian villages to industrial Russian cities on the Ukrainian border, as the tanks and troops have rolled in, local residents have captured the scenes on their phones—and uploaded what might one day be crucial evidence to social media.

How to verify information involving the war in Ukraine, according to fact-checkers and experts

During major breaking news events like the current war in Ukraine, social media users are bombarded with large amounts of mis- and disinformation, fact-checkers report. Here are some tips on how to prevent the spread of misinformation during breaking news events, according to experts. 

CYBERSECURITY, CYBERATTACKS AND HACTIVISM 

Microsoft: Data wiper cyberattacks continuing in Ukraine, VentureBeat, 2 March 2022

Microsoft warned that the group behind the “HermeticWiper” cyberattacks — a series of data-wiping malware attacks that struck numerous Ukrainian organizations on February 23 — remains an ongoing threat. The warning came as part of an update published today by Microsoft on cyberattack activity that the company has been tracking in Ukraine.

Ukraine Conflict Shows Wartime Norms Don’t Exist for Cyber Operations, WSJ, 1 March 2022

The growing prominence of hacktivists and volunteer hackers in the war also concerns analysts, along with a declaration from ransomware gang Conti, which said it would strike at the critical infrastructure of any country that attacks Russia. “The involvement of nonstate actors complicates the international legal landscape — who is a combatant, and who isn’t?” said Lauren Zabierek, executive director of the cyber project at Harvard Kennedy School’s Belfer Center. “There will be a lot of reflection and discussion of lessons to be learned with how this has unfolded and how this may change the nature of conflict in the future.”

Russian State Media Hacked to Show Casualty Numbers for Russian Soldiers in Ukraine War, Vice, 28 February 2022

Hackers targeted the websites of major Russian media outlets on Monday, including the state-run news agency Tass, to display a message with the current number of Russian army casualties reported by the Ukrainian military, figures that the Russian state has not officially released to the Russian public. The figures in the message from the hackers haven’t been independently verified by international authorities. But the move is part of a tsunami of hacktivism in opposition to the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

As Tanks Rolled into Ukraine, So Did Malware. Then Microsoft Entered the War, NYT, 28 February 2022

Within three hours, Microsoft threw itself into the middle of a ground war in Europe — from 5,500 miles away. The threat center, north of Seattle, had been on high alert, and it quickly picked apart the malware, named it “FoxBlade” and notified Ukraine’s top cyberdefense authority. Within three hours, Microsoft’s virus detection systems had been updated to block the code, which erases — “wipes” — data on computers in a network.

Ukraine’s Volunteer ‘IT Army’ Is Hacking in Uncharted Territory, Wired, 27 February 2022

Ukraine has seen other volunteer-organized cyberdefense and attack efforts leading up to and early in the war effort. Separately hacktivists, including the hacking group Anonymous, have claimed DDoS attacks against Russian targets and taken data from Belarusian weapons manufacturer Tetraedr. But the development of the IT Army, a government-led volunteer unit that’s designed to operate in the middle of a fast-moving war zone, is without precedent.

Hacktivists come to Ukraine’s defense, Politico, 25 February 2022

Groups of pro-Ukrainian hackers are organizing to hit Russia with cyberattacks targeted at Moscow's command, control systems and government infrastructure. The Ukrainian defense ministry on Thursday approached cybersecurity experts to set up teams of hackers to defend Ukrainian infrastructure and launch cyberattacks on Russia's invading forces, one of the experts told Reuters. A post shared on hacker forums called on the country's cybersecurity community to "get involved in the cyberdefense of our country," the report said.

Ukraine computers hit by data-wiping software as Russia launched invasion, Reuters, 24 February 2022

A newly discovered piece of destructive software found circulating in Ukraine has hit hundreds of computers, according to researchers at the cybersecurity firm ESET, part of what Ukrainian officials said was an intensifying wave of hacks aimed at the country. The company said on Twitter that the data wiping program had been installed on hundreds of machines in the country, an attack it said had likely been in the works for the past couple of months.

How a Russian cyberwar in Ukraine could ripple out globally, MIR TR, 21 January 2022

Last week, hackers defaced dozens of government websites in Ukraine, a technically simple but attention-grabbing act that generated global headlines. More quietly, they also placed destructive malware inside Ukrainian government agencies, an operation first discovered by researchers at Microsoft. It’s not clear yet who is responsible, but Russia is the leading suspect. But while Ukraine continues to feel the brunt of Russia’s attacks, government and cybersecurity experts are worried that these hacking offensives could spill out globally, threatening Europe, the United States, and beyond.

Ukraine braces for cyber invasion, The Economist, 20 February 2022

“BE AFRAID AND prepare for the worst,” read a coded warning left by hackers after they targeted Ukrainian state databases on January 14th. A month later, a powerful cyber-attack paralysed services at two big banks and on the defence ministry’s website. On both occasions, Russia denied involvement. But the messaging was unsubtle, coinciding as it did with the presence of more than 150,000 troops on Ukraine’s borders.

Cyberattacks on Ukraine’s infrastructure and civil society violate human rights, 18 February 2022

We stand with the people of Ukraine as they endure Russia’s large-scale military invasion targeting population centers across the country, alongside ongoing cyberattacks impacting critical services and infrastructure. Digital rights violations enable and escalate offline violence, and the calculated attacks targeting digital systems essential to people’s safety and wellbeing are unacceptable.

The conflict in Ukraine proves cyber-attacks are now weapons of war, 18 February 2022

Cyber espionage and information warfare have become an intrinsic part of recent conflicts and happen on a regular basis between conflicting powers. However, governments do not usually publicly claim responsibility for this type of activity, since this could put them in a position of declaring war against the targeted country and provoking counterattacks and sanctions from the international community. Therefore, evidence that Russia is definitely behind these attacks is hard to establish.

WEBINARS, RESEARCH PAPERS AND ANALYSIS

State Media, Social Media, and the Conflict in Ukraine, Stanford, 4 March 2022

As the war intensifies, the propaganda battles related to the conflict are already in full force. European governments have attempted to ban RT and Sputnik from platforms operating in the region. Facebook and Twitter have taken an array of actions to demote, label, and demonetize content from these sources. As is so often the case, precedents are being created in wartime that could have dramatic implications for the ways state-sponsored media will be regulated even outside these extreme contexts. To discuss what is happening and what the challenges are, this webinar brings together scholars and experts from the Stanford Cyber Policy Center, social media platforms, and elsewhere in the field.

Artificial Intelligence and Autonomy in Russia

This report provides a comprehensive overview of the current state of civilian and military artificial intelligence in Russia, examining all relevant sectors, key institutions, and trends. In particular, the report explores how Russia is applying AI to its military capabilities. This report is part of an effort by CNA to provide timely, accurate, and relevant information and analysis of the field of AI in Russia, and follows a series of more than twenty biweekly newsletters on the same topic. It relies on Russian-language open source material.

Strength In Numbers: Russia and The Future Of Drone Swarms

The Russian Ministry of Defense (MOD) and its affiliated institutions and organizations have in fact discussed swarm and group use for autonomous and robotics systems for a number of years. The main logic behind the mass fielding of military robotics—and one Russian military leaders have acknowledged—is to take soldiers out of a dangerous frontline tasks and replace them with expendable robotic systems. In Syria, Russian military bases and forces were subject to multiple rounds of attacks by groups of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), impressing upon the MOD the utility of such a concept for targeting its own adversaries.

ORGANIZATIONS 

CyberPeace Institute - UKRAINE: Timeline of Cyberattacks on critical infrastructure and civilian objects

In recent weeks there has been a significant escalation in the number of reported cyberattacks against Ukrainian institutions, organizations and the wider population. Ukraine is no stranger to being on the receiving-end of cyberattacks and the timeline below tracks the most significant incidents to date. The targeting of critical infrastructure raises particular concern as this infrastructure is essential for the survival of the civilian population. Attacks on infrastructure such as energy, water, healthcare, financial institutions, transport and communication services can have devastating consequences on the civilian population.

Access Now - Updates: Digital rights in the Ukraine-Russia conflict

Access Now calls on the Russian communications regulator to urgently reverse its orders to block Facebook and Twitter in the country. We are also receiving reports that app stores are being blocked and throttled in Russia. These repressive moves by the Russian government, along with disruptions to service from international infrastructure providers, are hurting people’s ability to fight and resist Russian state violence. We urge all parties to respect human rights and #KeepItOn.

Tech Policy Watch, A curated briefing on artificial intelligence and technology policy from around the world

This week’s Tech Policy Watch is dedicated to articles shedding light on the Russian invasion of Ukraine, with a focus on the cyber dimensions, disinformation and hacker initiatives that are unfolding. We also share a link to local civil society organizations accepting donations in these times of need.

Online Library 

On our website, AI for Peace, you can find even more awesome content, podcasts, articles, white papers and book suggestions that can help you navigate through AI and peace fields. Check our online library!