Empowering Disinformation Analysis: Arachne Digital’s Partnership with the DISARM Foundation

In today’s digital age, disinformation has become a pervasive threat, challenging the very fabric of open and democratic societies. Generative AI is contributing in no small part to this. Despite this, Arachne Digital believes in the power of collaboration and open-source innovation to counter these threats. That is why we are proud to talk about our partnership with the DISARM Foundation, an organisation at the forefront of global disinformation defence.

A Partnership with Purpose

Our partnership with the DISARM Foundation, which began in January 2024, is rooted in a shared vision: to empower the global community countering disinformation with robust tools and frameworks that enable coordinated, effective responses to disinformation at scale. Arachne Digital’s primary goal in this collaboration is to provide financial support that ensures the continued development and enhancement of the DISARM Red and Blue frameworks. These frameworks are critical to the global fight against disinformation, and by supporting them, we are ensuring that analysts and defenders worldwide have access to the most up-to-date resources.

Integrating DISARM into Thread

One of the most exciting aspects of this partnership is the integration of the DISARM Red and Blue frameworks into our flagship tool, Thread. Just as Thread currently maps free text to TTPs in the MITRE ATT&CK Matrix for Enterprise using machine learning models, we are now building the capability to do the same with DISARM’s TTPs. This integration is a logical next step in expanding Thread’s capabilities, making it a more versatile and powerful tool for cyber threat intelligence (CTI) analysts.

With DISARM integrated into Thread, analysts will be able to automate disinformation analysis, mapping incidents to a comprehensive set of tactics, techniques, and procedures (TTPs) that have been derived from historical disinformation campaigns. This enhancement will significantly increase the applicability of Thread to the varied threat landscape, allowing analysts to address both cybersecurity and disinformation challenges with greater efficiency.

What is the DISARM Framework?

The DISARM Framework is an open-source, master framework designed to fight disinformation by sharing data, analysis, and coordinating effective actions. Developed with input from global cybersecurity best practices, DISARM helps communicators across disciplines gain a clear, shared understanding of disinformation incidents and identify the appropriate defensive and mitigation actions available to them.

Constructed based on historical tactics employed by manipulators and defenders, the DISARM Framework is descriptive, not prescriptive. It provides a comprehensive set of known manipulator behaviours and defender actions, empowering users to determine the best response for their unique legal, cultural, and normative contexts.

The Impact of DISARM

Since its launch in 2019, DISARM has made a tangible impact across the globe. It has been successfully deployed by various global agencies, including the European Union, United Nations, and NATO, as well as government teams in the US, Canada, and beyond. DISARM’s framework has also supported institutions like the World Health Organisation in countering disinformation campaigns, such as anti-vaccination efforts, by enabling coordinated, multilingual responses.

DISARM’s ability to provide a common language for describing disinformation tactics and techniques has established it as a vital tool in the global fight against disinformation. It has helped create new institutions, train journalists, and support pandemic communication efforts, proving its value time and again.

Building the Future Together

The digital age presents both opportunities and challenges. By partnering with the DISARM Foundation, Arachne Digital is taking a stand against one of the most insidious threats of our time. We invite you to join us on this journey, contribute to the Thread project, and be a part of a global effort to safeguard the truth.

Our community and stakeholders can get involved by contributing to the Thread project, especially as we prepare for Hacktoberfest, where the DISARM integration will be a key focus. Together, we can make disinformation analysis faster, more efficient, and more accessible to organisations worldwide.

As Arachne Digital continues to grow, so too will our support for DISARM. Our vision is to provide the global community with the data and tools needed to combat disinformation effectively, fostering greater collaboration and coordination across borders, languages, and disciplines.

How to Get Involved in Our Mission

If you are passionate about fighting disinformation and enhancing global security, there are numerous ways you can get involved in our mission. Whether you are a developer, researcher, designer, or simply someone who wants to make a difference, we welcome your contributions.

You can start by joining our community on Slack, where you can connect with other like-minded individuals, participate in discussions, and contribute to our open-source projects. To get access, please email contact[at]arachne[dot]digital with a bit about who you are and how you would like to contribute.

We encourage you to explore our project repositories on GitHub, where you can find READMEs, roadmaps, and issue trackers that outline the various ways you can contribute, whether through coding, testing, documentation, or community building. Your involvement will not only help advance our tools and frameworks but also strengthen the global effort to combat disinformation and enhance cybersecurity.

Join Us in the Fight Against Disinformation

Arachne Digital is committed to supporting the DISARM Framework and ensuring it remains a free and open resource for the global counter-disinformation community. By integrating DISARM into Thread, we are not only enhancing our own toolset but also contributing to the broader fight against disinformation. Arachne Digital is empowering cybersecurity professionals, organisations, and analysts worldwide with innovative, open-source tools that streamline threat intelligence processes and fortify security postures.

Our mission is driven by a deep belief in the power of collaboration and the open-source community. We invite you to be a part of this revolution. By contributing to our projects you are helping to build a safer, more secure digital world.

Together, we can create tools that make a real impact, protect communities from the threats of disinformation, and ensure a more secure future for all. Let us build the future of cybersecurity, one contribution at a time.