Are PSYOPS in Cyberspace a Viable Tool Against Adversaries?

EMILIO IASIELLO

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The former Cybersecurity Director illustrated the point with LockBit, perhaps the most prominent and active ransomware gangs in the cybercrime ecosystem. He highlighted the February 2024 joint effort dubbed “Operation Cronos” spearheaded by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and the United Kingdom’s National Crime Agency to takedown LockBit’s dark web website. The action yielded the intended result, allowing the law enforcement coalition to take over the website, posting as such on the website, a clear message to other dark web actors that law enforcement could reach even a sophisticated cybercrime entity. The operation forced LockBit operators to relocate to another site, a move that the former NSA Cybersecurity Director suggested was done to incite distrust among the hacker community as to whether that site was under LockBit’s or the FBI’s control. Perhaps more impactful is the Department of Justice’s (DoJ) assertions that they have charged and received the cooperation of Dimitry Yuryevich Khoroshev, a senior LockBit leader who the DoJ claims of his willingness to detail the identities of his ransomware competitors.

LockBit’s leader quickly responded to these allegations stating that the United States had attached the wrong person to the alias, calling their activities a “bluff.” Regardless of which side is speaking the truth, it is evident that the FBI’s intent is to sully LockBit’s criminal reputation, as well as obstruct its ability to orchestrate future attacks. This is not surprising as this tactic is one frequently used by law enforcement to turn criminals against one another, and at the very least, sow discord among the criminal brotherhood. The law enforcement-criminal dance is a familiar one, and there is little doubt that no criminal organization expects to operate unimpeded by law enforcement at one time or another. It is more important to demonstrate the ability to avoid capture and show resilience; in essence, surviving to rob another day. However, law enforcement is well aware that there is no “honor among thieves,” an elusive code of criminal ethics that has proven to be more of an anomaly than the norm.