DisinfoDocket 3 June

Cybersecurity is still too often discussed as if it begins and ends with hackers, malware and phishing emails. Those threats are real, but they represent only part of the risk landscape organisations face today. One of the reasons I find the work of the DISARM Foundation so valuable is that it broadens the conversation. The DISARM Framework applies the discipline and structure familiar from cybersecurity frameworks to the increasingly important world of information operations, influence campaigns and disinformation. In doing so, it recognises a reality that many security professionals, journalists and policymakers are beginning to encounter: attacks do not always start with code. Increasingly, they start with narratives. Even phishing itself is a reminder of this. The most successful phishing attacks rarely succeed because of technical sophistication. They succeed because they exploit trust, authority, urgency and human behaviour. The technology is often secondary; the manipulation of people is primary. The same principle applies at a larger scale when organisations, communities or even entire societies become the target of coordinated attempts to shape perceptions, amplify division or erode trust. In such cases the attack surface extends far beyond networks and devices. It includes reputation, decision-making, public confidence and the information environment in which people operate. For boards, risk managers, insurers and cybersecurity leaders, this means that cyber resilience can no longer be viewed solely through a technical lens. Protecting systems remains essential, but protecting trust, cognition and the integrity of information is becoming just as important. The organisations that understand this broader perspective on cyber risk will be better prepared for the challenges that lie ahead. Thank you Julian Neylan for the introduction to the framework.