Manipulated

Inside the Cyberwar to Hijack Elections and Distort the Truth

Theresa Payton

Cybersecurity expert Theresa Payton tells battlefront stories from the global war being conducted through clicks, swipes, internet access, technical backdoors and massive espionage schemes. She investigates the cyberwarriors who are planning tomorrow’s attacks, weaving a fascinating tale of Artificial Intelligent mutations carrying out attacks without human intervention, “deepfake” videos that look real to the naked eye, and chatbots that beget other chatbots. Finally, Payton offers readers telltale signs that their most fundamental beliefs are being meddled with and actions they can take or demand that corporations and elected officials must take before it is too late.

The updated paperback edition, including new information on real world cases of AI, chatgpt, tiktok, and all the latest and greatest exploits of manipulation campaigns, will leave readers both captivated and chilled to the bone.

Rowman & Littlefield Publishers

Pages: 246 • Trim: 6½ x 9½

978-1-5381-3350-7 • Hardback • April 2020 • $26.95 • (£19.99)

978-1-5381-8865-1 • Paperback • April 2024 • $18.95 • (£14.99)

978-1-5381-8866-8 • eBook • April 2024 • $18.00 • (£13.99)

Subjects: Political Science / Political Process / Campaigns & Elections, Political Science / Intelligence & Espionage, Political Science / Security (National & International), Political Science / Public Policy / Science & Technology Policy

Manipulated

Inside the Cyberwar to Hijack Elections and Distort the Truth

Hardback

Paperback

eBook

Summary

Cybersecurity expert Theresa Payton tells battlefront stories from the global war being conducted through clicks, swipes, internet access, technical backdoors and massive espionage schemes. She investigates the cyberwarriors who are planning tomorrow’s attacks, weaving a fascinating tale of Artificial Intelligent mutations carrying out attacks without human intervention, “deepfake” videos that look real to the naked eye, and chatbots that beget other chatbots. Finally, Payton offers readers telltale signs that their most fundamental beliefs are being meddled with and actions they can take or demand that corporations and elected officials must take before it is too late.
The updated paperback edition, including new information on real world cases of AI, chatgpt, tiktok, and all the latest and greatest exploits of manipulation campaigns, will leave readers both captivated and chilled to the bone.

Details

Rowman & Littlefield Publishers

Pages: 246 • Trim: 6½ x 9½

978-1-5381-3350-7 • Hardback • April 2020 • $26.95 • (£19.99)

978-1-5381-8865-1 • Paperback • April 2024 • $18.95 • (£14.99)

978-1-5381-8866-8 • eBook • April 2024 • $18.00 • (£13.99)

Subjects: Political Science / Political Process / Campaigns & Elections, Political Science / Intelligence & Espionage, Political Science / Security (National & International), Political Science / Public Policy / Science & Technology Policy

Author

Theresa M. Payton served as the first female Chief Information Officer for the White House during the President George W. Bush administration and is currently CEO and founder of Fortalice Solutions, a boutique cybersecurity and intelligence services company that’s listed in the Global Cybersecurity Top 500. She starred as the Deputy Commander of Intelligence on the CBS TV series, Hunted, is a frequent guest on national and international news outlets, and is featured in the book of “100 Fascinating Females Fighting Cybercrime.” Among her many accolades are the FBI Director’s award for community service. She has co-authored two other books with Ted Claypoole.

Table of Contents

Contents

Prologue

Introduction

Chapter 1: How Did We Get Here?

Chapter 2: Motives & Targets: Manipulation in a Post-Truth, Post-Trust Era

Chapter 3: How Do You Know What You Think You Know?

Chapter 4: The Manipulators and Their Methods

Chapter 5: Hackers in the Trenches

Chapter 6: Exclusive Interview: Anatomy of a Manipulation Campaign

Chapter 7: The U.S. Elections 2016-2018

Chapter 8: America Isn't the Only Target

Chapter 9: The Next Target: What Attacks Can We Expect in 2020 and Beyond?

Chapter 10: Your Worst Nightmare: The Death of Democracy

Chapter 11: What Can You Do?
Chapter 12: Unraveled Deceptions: The Final Revelation
Author’s Note

About the Author

Reviews

Payton, an expert in cybersecurity, sounds a clarion call that our political process is at risk and explains why and how it is being assailed by foreign and domestic enemies of democracy. Many conservatives may want to dismiss Payton’s arguments, since she places much of the blame for the situation at the feet of current Republican leadership. But Payton can’t be dismissed as a liberal Democratic cynic, since her credentials are firmly rooted in the work she did for the George W. Bush administration. Payton clearly knows her stuff [and] she paints a timely, frightening picture.
— Booklist

Theresa Payton’s book on emerging security threats in cyberspace will pry your eyes wide-open to what is at stake for elections around the world, and other shenanigans involving your digital identity. After reading it you will understand why we are living in such divisive times and you will be much wiser when developing your online presence.

— The UN Brief

Manipulated takes on what is arguably the most important issue facing Americans today: the global digital war on democracy being waged by our geopolitical adversaries. Indeed, as she explains, most of the world is threatened by cyber election meddling. The basic story is familiar to people who follow the news. Russian and Chinese state actors, along with cyberwar units in Iran and elsewhere, are using highly sophisticated digital technologies to shift American public opinion and even hack the election infrastructure itself. What Payton does so skillfully in the book, though, is to flesh out the frightening reality of America’s true vulnerability to foreign manipulation of its political process. Payton comes to this task with strong credentials. She was the first woman to serve as White House CIO, under President George W. Bush. Now, Payton is CEO of Fortalice Solutions, a cybersecurity and intelligence services firm. She brings an experienced eye to a subject that can be overwhelming and bewildering to most Americans.

— Journal of Cyber Policy

In light of the misinformation that is constantly assaulting ALL of our ‘newsfeeds’, & the threat to our democracy via cyber warfare and cyber security, this is a book you should order TODAY.

— Carey Lohrenz, first female U.S. Navy F-14 Tomcat pilot and author of “Fearless Leadership: High-Performance Lessons from the Flight Deck.”

Theresa Payton has dedicated her life’s work to the mission of protecting others and pushing for pragmatic solutions. Manipulated is entertaining, informative, in some cases, even scary and downright shocking. A must-read, it serves as a wake-up call for all of us.
— Mary Ann Miller, Fraud Strategy Leader at Varo, industry fraud expert and thought leader

Manipulated covers riveting explorations of events over the past decade as well as current happenings not in the public eye. Theresa has a keen sense of extrapolating today’s cybercrime methods into tomorrow’s unknown threat vectors. She leaves everyone with hope by providing the reader with a how to guide to deflect manipulation campaigns.
— Scott Schober, CEO of BVS, Author, Cyber Expert

With decades of experience in cyber conflict, Theresa Payton is the perfect guide to help us understand our new era of hacked elections and non-stop disinformation campaigns. Fortunately, Manipulated doesn’t stop there: Payton gives us a call to action and clear recommendations for how individual citizens, big tech corporations, governments, and the international community of democratic nations can push back and win.
— Emilian Papadopoulos, President, Good Harbor Cyber Security Risk Management

Theresa Payton’s experience, intelligence, and passion reach off the pages of Manipulated to shake our shoulders and us up. This isn’t fiction, and it isn’t a movie script, it is a testimonial aimed to clear the fog in our information-overloaded world, and demand that we go back to our foundations – that truth is a requirement and needs tending, that foreign interference isn’t acceptable in how we make free choices, and that we’re not bystanders. Read this book, twice, and see her justification for the included blueprints to big tech, governments, and all of us to restore those essential foundations. Apathy, ignorance, and misperception are what others want, Payton wants quite the opposite.
— John N. Stewart, SVP, Chief Security and Trust Officer CISCO

Anyone that reads the news, watches TV or is on social networks needs to read this book! You are being manipulated and this book gives you the tools to recognize when you’re being manipulated and how to stop it!

— Eric Anderson, Cyber Security Leader, Seattle

Manipulated begins each chapter with a brief fictionalized story about what’s going on out there among hackers, politicians, criminals, and others, creating a ‘spy thriller’ thread throughout the book. Chapters then go into different aspects of digital manipulation, exploring real life situations and examples taken from today’s headlines and behind-the-scenes experiences of the author.

— Haiyan Song, Silicon Valley Executive in Cyber Security

Manipulated traces the rise of disinformation in today’s connected world and why the problem for free and open societies is only becoming more acute. While covert influence has been a feature of statecraft in modern history, what’s new is the ease and scale that nation-states – or private groups – can mislead audiences, distort truth, besmirch brands, foment political strife or agitate social cleavages with a few well-placed socket puppets and amplification networks. Having been on the front lines of cyber intelligence for two decades, Theresa offers tangible solutions to safeguard the information commons and protect our digital world.

— Andrew McClure, Principal, ForgePoint Capital

With the COVID-19 pandemic globally and upcoming elections in the United States, we all are subjected to ongoing propaganda and manipulation campaigns. Theresa Payton's new book Manipulated walks the reader step by step how to spot any kind of misinformation or manipulation campaign, explains how to understand who is behind it, and what their motives are. Any reader will be shocked to learn all of their true motivations. I highly recommend reading this newly published book!

— Algirde Pipikaite, Project Lead of Governance and Policy, Center for Cybersecurity, World Economic Forum

The book Manipulated was written from the front lines of a cyber warrior. After assessing what happened in global elections in 2016 and 2018, Theresa offers her predictions for where we are headed in 2020. Given her uncanny ability to predict where cybercriminals will attack next, all of us would do well to listen – including our elected officials and Big Tech. What will the world look like if this meddling continues? The fight requires government actions, a commitment from social media companies, tech giants, and all of us, locking arms and working together. The end of Manipulated includes a how-to guide for global governments and citizens, empowering the reader to take action.

— Angela Yochem, EVP, Chief Digital & Technology Officer at Novant Health