Presented at
Black Hat USA 2022,
Aug. 10, 2022, 11:20 a.m.
(40 minutes).
Nisos researchers uncovered a prolific disinformation campaign focused on Colombia's May 2022 elections in which Venezuelan leftist organizations are driving social media narratives in support of current leftist, Colombian Presidential Candidate, and former M-19 revolutionary member, Gustavo Petro. Prior to its suspension from Twitter, @ChalecosAmarill, used a mix of true and misleading information to advocate for presidential candidates with foreign policy positions favorable to U.S. adversaries, which increased its legitimacy and made disinformation difficult to detect. Its social media activities also include engagement with bot/sock puppet social media networks involved in information operations with the aim of influencing the digital environment, especially in Colombia.
Our assessment concludes a high likelihood that Venezuelan left-wing supporter, Rafael Nuñez and his pro-Venezuelan digital marketing associates are responsible for the content found on @ChalecosAmarill's Twitter account and engagement with known bot/sock puppet networks running various Colombia-focused digital campaigns in favor of Petro. Additionally, it is likely that Nuñez's efforts are a result of Venezuelan government interests.
Presenters:
-
Sandra Quincoses
- Intelligence Analyst, Nisos
Dr. Sandra Quincoses is a Miami-native and Senior Intelligence Analyst at Nisos. Prior to this position, she worked as an Open-source Intelligence Analyst and Team Lead at 3GIMBALS and at US Southern Command. Since 2015, Dr. Quincoses has also served as an adjunct professor and mentor for the Intelligence Community Centers for Academic Excellence (IC CAE) Program at Florida International University (FIU). She's mentored FIU graduate students' research focused on threats associated with emerging technologies and co-authored a report, "The Evolution of Threat Networks in Latin America," with Dr. Phil Williams. Dr. Quincoses started her career as a social media intelligence analyst and Spanish linguist at Dunami Inc. While at Dunami, she supported business development efforts, served as an international client liaison, and instructor. In 2019, she received a doctorate degree in psychology specializing in social psychology. Her quantitative study investigated world-mindedness among American college students enrolled in international relations and international business programs.
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