• Posted by: Eng. Donya Bino
• October 05, 2025

Cyber Propaganda: How Social Media Manipulates Opinions

I’ll be honest — when I first started looking at social media threats, I was focused on malware, phishing, and ransomware. That’s what most people imagine when they think “cybersecurity.” But over time, I realized there’s a quieter, more powerful type of attack happening online — one that doesn’t touch your devices but affects your mind: cyber propaganda.

It’s everywhere. You scroll through your feed and see news, posts from friends, memes, and suddenly there’s something that just… doesn’t feel right. Maybe it’s emotionally charged, maybe it’s factually off, but it spreads. Fast. And people believe it.

I’ve seen coordinated campaigns where multiple accounts — often bots — push the same story, the same message, with subtle variations. It’s not random. It’s carefully planned to influence how people feel about a person, event, or idea. And the scariest part? Most users don’t even realize it’s happening.

Social media makes this easy. Algorithms are designed to maximize engagement, not truth. If something provokes a reaction — anger, fear, excitement — it gets pushed further. Propagandists know this. They know what makes humans click, share, and comment. In a way, they’ve turned our own psychology against us.

Here’s what I tell clients and colleagues: cyber threats aren’t always digital. Sometimes the threat is information itself. The goal isn’t to steal your data — it’s to control how you think. And once that starts, it can spread like wildfire.

So how do you defend against it? Awareness is the key. Slow down. Question what you read. Check sources. Don’t just react based on emotion. Share information responsibly. For organizations, training teams to recognize manipulation is just as important as firewalls or antivirus software.

The truth is, social media can be a force for good — but it can also be weaponized. The more we understand how cyber propaganda works, the better we can protect ourselves and our communities. It’s not just about protecting devices anymore — it’s about protecting minds.