An Intelligent Multi-Stage Model for Countering the Impact of Disinformation on the Cybersecurity System

Now the level of cybercrime continues to grow at an extremely fast pace, so the concept of cybersecurity is increasingly seen as a strategic problem of the state, which causes significant harm to the economy not only of individual business entities, but also the economy of the state as a whole. This leads to the fact that cyberspace is turning into a separate sphere of hostilities, in which the armed forces of highly developed states, terrorist and criminal organizations operate. To date, the problem of ensuring security in cyberspace is being actively researched and discussed.

In the modern conditions of the information world, a special place in scientific research, which is activated every year, is occupied by cybersecurity. Recently, cybersecurity and its particular aspects have become the subject of numerous research papers.

In general, scientists believe [1-3] that the latest information technologies contribute, on the one hand, to the development of democratic regimes in the world, and, on the other hand, become a means of destabilization. Given the pluralism of opinions common in a globalizing society, the use of problematic issues by other countries allows the formation of discontent among the population and, as a result, all the prerequisites are created for manipulation in order to satisfy certain political ambitions.

According to Singh et al. [4] and Weru et al. [5], it is necessary to form a powerful regulatory a legal framework that regulates the security of the information space and, on the basis of scientific institutions or think tanks, organize a system of counter-propaganda and combat disinformation, while not forgetting the basic democratic principles. At the same time, the state is obliged to stimulate the development of the IT sector, in particular in the security system, taking into account the latest challenges and foreign policy threats.

As most scientists note [6-8], the numerous problems of mankind, which, on the one hand, were the result of the processes of globalization of the modern world, and on the other hand, turned out to be a condition for accelerating the onset of the era of this globalization, intensified the effect of such a powerful and often unpredictable side effect, the definition of which "disinformation". This phenomenon, as a virus dangerous to the social organism, is capable of exponentially spreading in the information space in a short time, parasitizing primarily on the painful problems of the world as a whole, individual regions and countries. We agree with this collective scientific opinion.

As noted, at the present stage of the latest information technologies, cybersecurity, which contains an interdepartmental character in a globalized world, is becoming relevant [9]. After all, cybersecurity is a human rights manifestation of the modern virtual world against the background of the innovative development of information technologies in the system of legal capital.

In general, as some scientists note [10-12], disinformation (especially in the context of the existence of so-called unknown variables of a global nature) turns into a national security problem that can destabilize the world order. Since disinformation and its consequences can further increase the potential threat to social stability in general, as well as to the life and health of citizens, this phenomenon should be considered precisely in the context of measuring the modern world, considering it one of the most notable challenges that has recently accompanied the process of globalization existence of any subject of information relations.

As for multisimulation, its usefulness and effectiveness has been confirmed by more than one scientific literature. For example, the works [13-15] demonstrated real practical results of multisimulation.

The key results that scientists have brought in their work are of value in developing the problem of countering disinformation in the cybersecurity system.

One of the important conclusions that can be obtained as a result of the literature review is that the problem of countering disinformation is relevant and has a lot of attention among scientists and practitioners. Other conclusions are formed on the fact that disinformation has a strong negative impact on cybersecurity.

In general, it should be noted that disinformation has not disappeared anywhere and still remains relevant. That is why, knowing due to scientific and practical achievements, the search for new means of counteracting its negative impact on the cybersecurity system is relevant.

As a result, it was decided to choose a socio-economic system that has its own elements of cybersecurity. Such a socio-economic system, which will serve as a clear example for us to conduct modeling, will be the administrative region of Lazio in Italy. Almost 10% of the population of the region are immigrants. The capital of Italy is located in the region, and the issue of disinformation here is one of the most critical factors that can negatively affect the cybersecurity system. We will try to form our intellectual model for Lazio's cybersecurity system, based on the extensive experience of our authors living there. We have selected the most negative elements that have a significant negative impact on the cybersecurity system in the region and propose the following stages of counteraction (all stages received their own unique designation according to the method of language symbols) are presented in Table 1.

Table 1. Designation according to the method of language symbols of the stages of the intellectual model

Thus, we have the main goal that the intellectual model should achieve - A(0). As a result, during simulation, it is achieved as follows (1):

$\mathrm{A}(1) \rightarrow \mathrm{A}(2) \rightarrow \mathrm{A}(3) \rightarrow \mathrm{A}(4)=\mathrm{A}(0)$             (1)

According to (1), each stage gradually passes into the next and thus, in the final case, we reach A(0).

It should be noted that according to the methodology, the result can be any number of A(n), but in our opinion, A(4) is enough for this intellectual model.

So, due to the introduction of the dark box method, we eventually built a constructive diagram of the basis of an intellectual model for counteracting the negative impact of disinformation on the cybersecurity system (Figure 3).

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Figure 3. Constructive diagram of the basis of the intellectual model of counteracting the negative impact of disinformation on the cybersecurity system (formed by the authors)

I(n) and O(n) according to the black box method are inputs and outputs. In our case, these are the resources that are directed to achieve the goal of the intellectual model and the desired result that can be obtained at the output (2):

$\mathrm{I}(1)+\mathrm{I}(2) \rightarrow \mathrm{O}(1)+\mathrm{O}(2)$              (2)

In total, all inputs should give a certain socio-economic effect and turn into outputs.

M(n) and C(n) are mechanisms and control according to the methodology presented in Figure 1. At the same time, according to the methodology, the achievement of the main goal of the intellectual model A(0) is also achieved through (3):

$(\mathrm{M}(1)+\mathrm{M}(2))+(\mathrm{C}(1)+\mathrm{C}(2))=\mathrm{A}(0)$             (3)

It should be noted that in total, the mechanisms and elements of control together make it possible to achieve A(0).

Cyberspace is a new channel for the creation and dissemination of a variety of information, it has become a new engine of economic growth, a new platform for social management, a new way of international cooperation, and a completely new sphere of state sovereignty. In this context, it is extremely important to build an effective intellectual model to counteract the negative impact of disinformation in the cybersecurity system (Figure 4).

It should be noted that the intersection of lines should not be mandatory, this only happens when several arrows go into the same object. Arrow lines only where needed to concretize an action or influence.

A(1). Introduction of fact-checking technology in the information field of the region. Internet disinformation is a problem that crosses borders, both national and disciplinary. It is becoming increasingly clear that a solution to the problem cannot be found without significant international and interdisciplinary cooperation. Thus, in the conditions of information wars and manipulations, the need to verify the reliability of information and facts circulating in our information environment is growing. Fact-checking is fact-checking to provide accurate, unbiased analysis of public statements in order to correct public misperceptions and raise awareness of important issues. It should be noted that the verification of information is based on official documents. In cyberspace, there should be constant elements of fact-checking for the public as part of ensuring cybersecurity.

A(2). Maintaining a balance in the information field. Firstly, it is necessary not to allow propaganda, referring to liberalism and pluralism of opinions. Countering disinformation should not be confused with censorship, which is banned in most democracies. There may be different views in a society, but there cannot be two different truths. If the information distorts this or that event or fact, the source disseminating such news must be found. If it disseminates fake news systematically and purposefully, it should be banned.

A(3). Control over the share of media others countries. The region should pay attention to cases when the share of mass media of another state grows in its information space. This means when a society draws a certain, fairly significant percentage of information precisely from information sources belonging to a particular country.

A(4). Implementation of media literacy strategy in cyberspace. Media literacy appears as a result of the process of media education and plays a significant role in the activities of the region, because it is necessary to inform people about the phenomenon of disinformation, about how it can interfere in various political processes and make adjustments to the course of events, so it is necessary to teach the public to respond correctly to these threats. Media literacy is one of the key forms of protection against the destructive influence of disinformation and fake news spread through digital media. Critical thinking and education play a major role for citizens, because it is thanks to these skills that the further effective use of social networks is possible.

A characteristic feature of the intellectual model is that each stage can be detailed and analyzed. For an illustrative example, we take stage A(4), which is the final one, and it determines what the output will be (Figure 5).

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Figure 4. An intellectual multi-stage model for countering disinformation in the cybersecurity system in the region (formed by the authors)

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Figure 5. Auxiliary intellectual model for achieving stage A(4) "Implementation of media literacy strategy in cyberspace" (formed by the authors)

A(4-1). Development of commercial communication. Since advertising plays a leading role in our lives today, it is important to raise audience awareness about commercial communication. In this area, media literacy focuses on two aspects: providing young audiences with the tools to develop a critical approach to commercial communication that allows them to make informed choices; encouraging public or private funding with due transparency in this area.

A(4-2). Audiovisual works. In this context, media literacy involves: providing European audiences with a better awareness of the heritage of the film industry and increasing interest in European films, as well as understanding the importance of copyright on the part of both consumers and content creators.

A(4-3). Media literacy in the online environment. For the online environment, media literacy should include: providing tools to critically evaluate online content; ensuring that the full benefits of the information society can be enjoyed by all, including people with disabilities and those at a disadvantage due to limited resources, education or ethnicity.

In general, making intermediate conclusions on the results of the study, we can say that, unlike other scientists [10-20], we made an attempt to clarify in detail the process and operation of our intellectual model and all its elements. Taking as an example the cybersecurity system of a particular region, we tried to adapt the methodological approach to the conditions of this socio-economic system.