What began as memes and a way for scammers to drive ad revenue via clickbait has morphed and expanded into almost every area of our lives. Misinformation, disinformation, malinformation (MDM), and a host of other terms used so loosely are now co-opted for nefarious use, and some have lost their meaning almost entirely.
Understanding the nuances of MDM is an essential first step for those practicing or developing a practice around information-driven threats. Misinformation is the unintentional spread of disinformation. The person disseminating the content believes it is true. Disinformation, on the other hand, is fabricated and purpose-built for deception by the creator, who is often driven by profiteering, influence or polarization. Malinformation is any information that is disseminated to cause harm, such as leaking user password databases. These threats have become so severe they are now considered by experts as adjacent to cyberattacks.