Abstract
This paper introduces a method to quantify international populations’ susceptibility to cyber cognitive attacks using press freedom and media trust metrics. We present the Cognitive Influence Calculator, a tool that estimates susceptibility (𝑆) based on Press Freedom Scores (PFS) and media trust levels. Findings show that while authoritarian regimes are harder to reach, successful cognitive attacks have greater impacts due to higher trust in state-controlled narratives. Using U.S. wargaming data and international trust metrics, we compute susceptibility scores for the U.S., Russia, China, Iran, and North Korea. Results show an inverse relationship between PFS and media susceptibility, with local/allied news being the most influential media type. This approach enables planners to assess adversary vulnerabilities in the cognitive domain and supports data-driven operations in the information environment.
Recommended Citation
Rushing, Bonnie; Nelson, Cole; Xu, Shouhuai; O’Keefe, Christofer “Raven”; and Karpoyan, Olga
(2025)
"Quantifying Adversary Military Forces’ Susceptibility to Cognitive Attacks,"
Military Cyber Affairs: Vol. 8
:
Iss.
1
, Article 10.
Available at:
https://digitalcommons.usf.edu/mca/vol8/iss1/10
Included in
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