Israel National Cyber Directorate Warns Against the Growing Threat of Foreign Influence Campaigns

In recent years, social networks have become a central arena for foreign influence campaigns—phenomena in which states, organizations, and even private groups exploit the digital space to shape public opinion in other countries, influence political or social processes, and gain strategic advantages. These activities often involve extensive use of bots—automated accounts that appear to be genuine profiles but are designed to spread false information, incite conflict, and amplify public distrust.

Online influence efforts are not limited to disseminating false information; they frequently target sensitive and controversial topics with the aim of sowing division, undermining public trust in state institutions, and amplifying feelings of chaos and uncertainty.

This phenomenon presents a significant challenge, as it operates in an environment where information flows at tremendous speed, making it increasingly difficult to discern truth from falsehood. Consequently, the National Cyber Directorate places special emphasis on raising public awareness of this issue to reduce the ability of foreign entities to influence the public.

Recommendations from the National Cyber Directorate for identifying bots online:

• Repeated text across multiple locations: Bots often replicate the same messages and text, sometimes with minor variations, to create the illusion of broad support for a specific narrative.
• Inhuman posting frequency: Accounts that post dozens or hundreds of times per day, especially within short periods or simultaneously, are often automated.
• Lack of authenticity in profiles: Look for accounts with generic or overly polished profile pictures, incoherent names with spelling errors, or profiles with few friends or followers.
• Extreme or divisive content: Bots in foreign influence campaigns tend to encourage conflict, spread conspiracy theories, or disseminate information designed to foster distrust between different population groups. Their content often focuses on current, polarizing issues.
• Out-of-context responses: Comments unrelated to the post’s content or written in robotic language may indicate an automated account.
• Coordination between multiple profiles: Foreign campaigns often involve bot networks operating in sync—profiles that comment, share, or like posts in a coordinated manner.
• Unnatural language use: Grammatical errors, poor translations, or unusual expressions that do not align with the local audience's linguistic norms are red flags.
• Recently created profiles: New accounts that exhibit intense activity shortly after being created are suspicious.
• Links to dubious websites: Many bots direct users to sites that disseminate false information, propaganda, phishing attempts, or other questionable content.

The National Cyber Directorate continues to enhance technological and educational tools for identifying and preventing hostile activities on social media. However, the responsibility also lies with each of us—to think critically, verify sources of information, and avoid sharing content without knowing who is behind it. This vigilance is key to protecting ourselves and our communities from foreign influence.