250: Decoding Iran’s Digital Playbook: Influence, Psyops, and Cyber Threats by Max Lesser
🎙️ In this episode, One CA Podcast welcomes Max Lesser from the Foundation for Defense of Democracies (FDD) to unpack the evolving landscape of Iranian online influence. From sock puppet accounts and Telegram coordination to decentralized psyops and hybrid cyber operations, Max offers a sobering look at how Tehran weaponizes digital platforms to shape global narratives, target dissidents, and crowdsource aggression.
We explore FDD’s recent findings on Iranian impersonation networks, domestic propaganda amplification, and the strategic use of misinformation during high-stakes geopolitical moments—including the Gaza war protests and U.S. election cycles. Max also discusses the blurred lines between hacktivism and state-sponsored cyber threats, and how decentralized influence operations allow anyone to become a digital combatant.
🧠 Key Topics
• Iranian disinformation tactics and impersonation campaigns
• Telegram as a coordination tool for influence ops
• Crowdsourced psyops and fake account generation
• Domestic propaganda and opportunistic misinformation
• Hybrid cyber threats targeting U.S. infrastructure
• Influence operations during election cycles
• FDD’s investigative methodology and threat analysis
📌 Links & Resources
• Max Lesser at FDD
• FDD Report: Iranian Network Impersonating Israelis
• USA Today: Iran Targets U.S. Protesters
• FDD: Iranian Group Crowdfunding for Trump’s Assassination
🎧 Listen & Subscribe
Available on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and wherever strategic minds tune in.
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One CA is a product of the Civil Affairs Association andbrings in people who are current or former military, diplomats, developmentofficers, and field agents to discuss their experiences on the ground with apartner nation's people and leadership.
We aim to inspire anyone interested in working in the "lastthree feet" of U.S. foreign relations.
To contact the show, email us at [email protected], orlook us up on the Civil Affairs Association website atwww.civilaffairsassoc.org
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Special Thanks to Jarl Flamar for a sample of Medusa,Agfay Live Session. Retrieved from: https://youtu.be/epniyt6IA_E?feature=shared
---#IranianInfluenceOps, #DisinformationCampaigns,
#HybridThreats, #CyberPsyops, #DigitalPropaganda,
#InfoOps, #InfluenceOperations, #SockPuppetAccounts,
#CrowdsourcedDisinfo, #TelegramOps, #CyberThreatIntel,
#AIInfluenceOps, #ElectionInterference, #InauthenticBehavior, #SocialBotnets, #DeepfakeThreats,
#ForeignInfluence, #NarrativeWarfare, #OnlineManipulation, #CyberSovereignty,
Organization,Hashtag
Foundation for Defense of Democracies,#FDD,#FDDCCTI,#CyberInfluenceOps
Atlantic Council – DFRLab,#DFRLab,#IraniansOnSocialMedia,#InfluenceOpsTracker
Stanford Internet Observatory,#SIO,#CoordinatedInauthenticBehavior,#DigitalManipulation
Citizen Lab,#DigitalTransnationalRepression,#IranSurveillance,#CyberRepression
Freedom House,#FreedomOnTheNet,#InternetFreedom,#DigitalAuthoritarianism
Brookings Institution – Middle East Policy,#IranPolicy,#DigitalAuthoritarianism,#CyberStatecraft
Carnegie Endowment – Cyber Policy Initiative,#CyberPolicy,#ForeignInfluenceOps,#DigitalSovereignty
RAND Corporation,#OpenSourceIntel,#SocialMediaAnalysis,#HybridThreats
Indiana University – OSoMe,#BotDetection,#SockPuppetNetworks,#DisinfoTracker
Harvard Belfer Center,#CyberThreats,#ElectionSecurity,#NarrativeWarfare
Access Now,#InternetShutdowns,#DigitalRights,#IranCensorship
The New Global Order,#GeopoliticalInfluence,#HybridWarfareMonitor,#CrowdsourcedThreats
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