The U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and Cyber National Mission Force (CNMF), in collaboration with the Netherlands General Intelligence and Security Service (AIVD), Netherlands Military Intelligence and Security Service (MIVD), Netherlands Police (DNP), and the Canadian Centre for Cyber Security (CCCS), are issuing this advisory to alert social media companies about the use of the covert Meliorator software by Russian state-sponsored actors. This advisory highlights the software’s role in foreign malign influence operations benefiting the Russian government.
Overview of Meliorator
Affiliates of RT (formerly Russia Today), a Russian state-sponsored media organization, have employed Meliorator—a sophisticated artificial intelligence (AI)-enhanced software package—to create fictitious online personas representing various nationalities.
These personas have been used to disseminate disinformation on X (formerly Twitter), targeting countries including the United States, Poland, Germany, the Netherlands, Spain, Ukraine, and Israel.
Despite being identified solely on X to date, the analysis suggests that Meliorator’s developers intended to expand its functionality to other social media platforms. The software is capable of:
- Creating large numbers of authentic-looking social media personas.
- Deploying content similar to that of typical social media users.
- Mirroring disinformation spread by other bot personas.
- Amplifying false narratives to propagate malign foreign influence.
- Formulating messages based on specific archetypes of the bots.
Reporting and Action
To report suspicious or criminal activity related to this advisory, contact your local FBI field office. When reporting, please provide:
- Date, time, and location of the incident.
- Type of activity observed.
- Number of individuals affected.
- Equipment used for the activity.
- Name of the submitting company or organization.
- A designated point of contact.
Technical Details
Meliorator: As early as 2022, RT utilized Meliorator, an AI-enabled bot management software designed to spread disinformation on social media. Meliorator’s primary components include:
- Brigadir: The administrator panel and graphical user interface that controls the software’s functionalities, including the creation of false identities and automation of social media actions.
- Taras: The backend component that manages .json files to control disinformation personas, utilizing decentralized code for aggregation and execution.
Brigadir: Functions as the primary end-user interface, enabling users to manage bot personas and automated scenarios.
Taras: Manages the backend operations, including the aggregation of tools and databases necessary for executing the disinformation campaigns.
For more information, Russian state-sponsored media organization leverages AI-enhanced “Meliorator” software for foreign malign influence activity.
Source: Canadian Centre for Cyber Security
