In a collaborative effort, the FBI, Dutch military counterintelligence, Canadian Cyber Security Centre, and Dutch police have exposed a complex Russian cyber operation utilizing the “Meliorator” software package.
This operation, linked to individuals associated with the Russian-state media RT (Russia Today), aimed to create and manage fake accounts for disinformation and psychological operations on the social network X (formerly Twitter).
Software to create fakes
The “Meliorator” software enabled the creation of convincing fake profiles that mimicked human behavior and spread narratives supporting subversive information campaigns.
The system consisted of multiple components: an account generator, a web interface for bot management, and a core system that defined the bots’ behavior and characteristics.
Intriguingly, the system endowed each bot with unique attributes, such as ideological beliefs and biographies, making them appear more authentic.
The Faker library was used to generate profile appearances, while additional data to refine the bots’ “personalities” were collected via a crawler linked to the Russian project nemez1da. To avoid detection and blocking, these bots followed popular accounts to gain legitimacy.
This operation exemplifies how Russia leverages modern technologies to influence public opinion and spread disinformation across European countries. Uncovering such operations underscores the critical need to intensify efforts against Russian influence agents in the information sphere, as they threaten national interests and the security of European states.
