Cognitive warfare and social media manipulation pose security threats

Experts and political leaders are warning about the rising threat of cognitive warfare and information manipulation on social media. This form of hybrid threat targets human emotions, thoughts, and decision-making processes to influence identity and social stability.

Mohamed Khaled Nordin, Malaysia's Defense Minister, previously noted that cognitive warfare is a planned strategy to manipulate information. Such manipulation, particularly regarding race and religion, can lead to political instability, economic decline, and social disharmony. This aligns with observations from NATO's Allied Command Transformation regarding the use of lies and manipulation to influence populations.