=Paper=
{{Paper
|id=Vol-3188/short8
|storemode=property
|title=Analysis of the Process of Information Transfer from the Source-to-User in Terms of Information Impact (short paper)
|pdfUrl=https://ceur-ws.org/Vol-3188/short8.pdf
|volume=Vol-3188
|authors=Zoreslava Brzhevska,Roman Kyrychok,Andrii Anosov,Pavlo Skladannyi,Maksym Vorokhob
|dblpUrl=https://dblp.org/rec/conf/cpits/BrzhevskaKASV21
}}
==Analysis of the Process of Information Transfer from the Source-to-User in Terms of Information Impact (short paper)==
https://ceur-ws.org/Vol-3188/short8.pdf
Analysis of the Process of Information Transfer
from the Source-to-User in Terms of Information Impact
Zoreslava Brzhevska1, Roman Kyrychok1, Andrii Anosov1, Pavlo Skladannyi1,
and Maksym Vorokhob1
1
Borys Grinchenko Kyiv University, 18/2 Bulvarno-Kudravska str., Kyiv, 04053, Ukraine
Abstract
The process of transferring information from an official source or from the “scene” to the final
consumer is quite complex and lengthy. During its promotion, information circulates in the
information space and is influenced by various groups of influence that pursue their interests. Thus,
very often the end-user receives biased, biased information, the purpose of which is to exert a
certain influence on his behavior. The situation is complicated by the limited sources of
information, their subjectivity, and bias, which are the essence of information conflict when the
opposing parties try to put any information pressure on the sources of information and the whole
process of its dissemination. To ensure the proper functioning, making adequate decisions, the task
of the end-user is to obtain objective and timely information, for which the issues of assessing its
reliability come to the fore.
Keywords1
Cybersecurity, information space, resources, information, cyber war, reliability, information
confrontation, media space, social networks.
1. Introduction
The concept of “information space” was formed in the geopolitical dimension, which contains properties
and allows to consider it as independent spaces with their resources, structure, boundaries and features of
activity, interaction of subjects that include information support. The information space is not static, so it
can quickly adapt to the challenges of modern society, protecting the interests of the state or, conversely,
influencing it. The information space is an environment in which the content of such processes as
competition changes (due to changes in the content and nature of competition between the actors operating
in it) and interaction in the process of joint activities.
In the information space there are significant changes like geopolitical competition, through the struggle
to achieve information superiority, for possession of a better information resource, which can open greater
prospects for control over the information resource of the enemy [1].
Today, there are many scientific approaches to explaining the information space. In the informational
aspect, the interpretation of this term is based on the definition of the information sphere. The term
“information space” is used to express a system of external and internal information flows, which, in turn,
may have different characteristics in terms of content, methods, transmission and intensity of information
exchange. Information space is also used to denote a certain area of society covered by a certain system of
information flows [2]. “The set of information, information infrastructure, entities that collect, form,
disseminate and use information, as well as the system of regulation of certain social relations, is defined
as the information sphere” [3]. A common approach to understanding the information sphere as a set of
relationships that arise in the formation and use of information resources based on the creation, collection,
processing, accumulation, storage, retrieval, dissemination and provision of information, organization and
use of information technology and its means. Information space is a dynamic environment where physical
objects usually have well-defined physical boundaries that can gain informational advantages over time,
and space is structured. “Information fields and information flows are the main structural components of
CPITS-II-2021: Cybersecurity Providing in Information and Telecommunication Systems, October 26, 2021, Kyiv, Ukraine
EMAIL: z.brzhevska@kubg.edu.ua (Z. Brzhevska); r.kyrychok@kubg.edu.ua (R. Kyrychok); a.anosov@kubg.edu.ua (A. Anosov);
p.skladannyi@kubg.edu.ua (P. Skladannyi); m.vorokhob.asp@kubg.edu.ua (M. Vorokhob)
ORCID: 0000-0002-7029-9525 (Z. Brzhevska); 0000-0002-9919-9691 (R. Kyrychok); 0000-0002-2973-6033 (A. Anosov); 0000-0002-7775-6039
(P. Skladannyi); 0000-0001-5160-7134 (M. Vorokhob)
©️ 2022 Copyright for this paper by its authors.
Use permitted under Creative Commons License Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0).
CEUR Workshop Proceedings (CEUR-WS.org)
257
the information space. The movement of information in the information field is performed through a
physical connection between the recipient and the source of information that materializes in the information
flow.
The complex of information that moves in the information space through communication channels,
scientists consider as an information flow. Information flows can spread both within individual infospheres
and between them, depending on the availability of communication channels [3]. Society’s information
infrastructure is an environment that provides the ability to collect, transmit, store, process and disseminate
information. As a component, it belongs to the technological and organizational components of the
information space. “The information infrastructure of society arises from a complex of:
Information and telecommunication systems and communication networks of the industry of means
of informatization, telecommunication and communication.
Systems of formation and maintenance of information resources.
Systems for providing access to information and telecommunication systems, communication
networks and information resources.
Information industry and information services market; training systems, conducting research.
Algorithms and software that ensure the functioning of software and hardware platforms, etc.” [3].
The information space of society is distinguished by subjects and communities. Due to the lack of
boundaries and its virtuality, the information space is an integration mechanism of organizational structures.
The main functions that currently perform the information space are as follows:
Integrating—the association in the spatial-communicative and socio-cultural environment of
different activities (economic, social, political and cultural).
Communicative—creation of a special environment of cross-border, interactive and mobile
communication of different subjects, within which they exchange information.
Actualizing determines the objectification of the interests of various actors in the information space
through the implementation of their information policy.
Geopolitical—the formation of personal resources and change the significance of traditional
resources, creating a new environment of geopolitical relations and competition [3].
The information sphere is the engine of development of post-industrial society and actively influences
the state of political, economic, defense and other components of national security.
Since the information space of the state today has become an environment of information counteraction,
then, accordingly, all information resources can also be classified according to their belonging to certain
aspects of such counteraction. This can be most vividly illustrated by the example of the media space, which
is part of the information space of the state (Fig. 1).
Figure 1: The structure of the media space of the state as an environment of information counteraction
258
2. Functions of Information Space
Today, the Information Space (IS) is increasingly seen as an area of information conflict [4, 5].
Actions in the information space unfold in [4, 5]:
Technical sphere.
Psychological sphere.
The technical field is an area of information space in which information is created, processed and stored.
In addition, it is an area in which management, intelligence and communications systems operate. Later, in
the list of main documents, the development and refinement of the concept of the technical sphere of
information space led to the creation of the conceptual apparatus of cyberspace.
Psychological sphere is an area of information space that combines the thinking of competitors and
society.
This is an area in which competitors’ plans, doctrines, tactics and methods of confrontation, the concept
of cohesion, level of training, morality, experience, understanding of the situation and public opinion are
formed [4, 5].
Many US Armed Forces experts consider it appropriate to exclude the participation of physical means
of defeat in information actions (such as infrastructure destruction, failure of control points, etc.), because
these actions take place in physical space, which is a common area of war and combines traditional spheres
of confrontation—land, sea, air and outer space. That is, the space in which the systems of military
equipment, weapons and communication systems operate [4].
One of the main concepts used by specialists in the field of information confrontation in the United
States is the “information environment,” which in terms of content is consonant with the “information
space.”
Information environment is a set of individuals, organizations and systems that collect, process, prove
information or act on its basis [6].
Elements of the information environment is managers, decision makers, individuals, organizations and
systems [6].
Resources of the information environment is material means and systems used to collect, analyze, apply
or refute information [6].
Including the concept of resource and elements, we can provide the following definition of the
information environment: this is the area in which individuals and automated systems operate—conduct
observations, navigate, make decisions and act on information. From this point of view, the information
environment is the “main decision-making environment” in the information space.
According to US experts, the information environment consists of three dimensions: physical,
informational and cognitive (Fig. 3) [6].
The physical dimension is a familiar area of war. This area combines traditional areas of confrontation—
land, sea, air and outer space. This is the area in which the physical armament platforms and technical
control and communication systems operate. Therefore, the elements of this area are the easiest to identify.
Combat power in this area is traditionally measured by the effects of physical defeat [4, 6].
Information dimension - the area in which information is created, processed and stored. In addition, this
is an area in which there is a logic of the operation of control, communication and intelligence systems. In
the competition for information superiority, this area is most sensitive to information influences, because
this dimension connects the real physical world with the logic of technical systems of collecting,
transmitting and processing information, and through them—with human consciousness, which functions
in the cognitive dimension.
The cognitive dimension is the area of thinking of the combatant and the civilian population. This is the
area in which the purpose of commanders, doctrines, tactics, methods of confrontation are formed.
Intangible assets of leadership, cohesion of units, level of training, experience, morale, understanding of
the situation and public opinion—these are all elements of this area. The cognitive dimension exists in the
mind of the individual who makes the decision. This is the area where a person processes the received
information by his inherent set of norms, morals, beliefs, culture and values. The latter act as a basis in the
perception of the individual, in filtering information and determining the consciousness of significance and
relationship. Information is evaluated and analyzed to form conclusions that are transmitted through the
information dimension to the realm of the physical world [6].
259
Information space
Technological sphere (Area of
Psychological sphere creation, processing and
storage of information)
Thinking competitors Thinking society Intelligence system
Intentions, doctrines, tactics,
methods of confrontation,
Public opinion Management system
morality, concepts, experience,
understanding of the situation
Social networks
Figure 2: Decomposition of information space [4, 5]
Figure 3: Areas of information environment [6]
260
Each of the components of the information environment can be exposed to a certain influence and be an
object that under certain circumstances can affect the outcome of the operation (war), taking into account
their conceptual relationship in the decision cycle.
3. Information Process of Communication
Encoding transmitter (encoder). In short, the process of information transfer that is affected can be
described by the Shannon-Weaver Communication Model, which was described in 1948 in the article
“Mathematical Theory of Communication.” The main purpose of this model was to improve technological
communication, mainly telephone, but later Weaver applied it to all types of communication. This model
focuses on the act of communication between the communicator and the recipient and consists of five main
elements:
1. Information resource (sender) that produces the message.
2. Transmitter (encoder), which encodes messages with special signals, which are compressed for
transmission via cables or satellites.
3. The channel to which the encoded signal is adapted to transmit information.
4. Receive a signal and convert it into a message. Reverse encoding process that provides effective
communication between the communicator and the recipient.
5. Recipient (recipient). The final destination of the message. Based on the information received, the
recipient gives feedback to the sender.
The main feature of the Shannon-Weaver model is the allocation of feedback (reaction) of the recipient
of the media message, which can serve as an indicator of the correct receipt of the message. And also the
added component of the communication process - noise. Noise is considered a dysfunctional factor that can
affect the message when it moves through the media channel, as a result of which the recipient may receive
an erroneous message.
As such noise, in our case, the information influence on messages which will lead to their distortion can
be considered. This, in turn, makes it necessary to assess the accuracy of the information received by the
user.
Influence on information can occur at any stage of its existence and promotion from source to user.
Figure 4: Stages of influence on information
Thus, the information space of society is the result of its evolution and is formed as a set of information,
information infrastructure, and entities that collect, form, disseminate and use information. Today, it is
increasingly seen as a field of information warfare in the technical and psychological domains. The
information space is the environment for the implementation of the communication process, which includes
the information resource, transmitter, communication channel, signal reception procedures, and the
recipient (recipient). Any of these elements may be influenced by stakeholders in the information
confrontation.
4. Features of the Information Transmission Medium
Consider the features (properties) of the information space, in which there is a need to ensure the
reliability of the transmitted information:
1. “The human factor.” Based on the concept of building an information space, it should be considered
as a socio-technical system - a set of information-technical and social infrastructures. Due to this, the basic
261
concept of building an individual entrepreneur is expanding: individuals, as well as their information
connections, belong to the system as elements of the structure. The basis of the productive functioning of
the information space is not only high productivity, reliability, and security of its hardware and software
and personnel, but also the quality of information (primarily, reliability), transmitted and received by
individuals. The processes of interaction of individuals due to erroneous information can lead to
dysfunctional behavior of the entire information space [7]. Management of the social environment,
professional skills, and qualifications of individuals, as well as a general understanding of the tasks, become
important components of the information space, which have an impact on information processes, which
determines the approach to ensuring the reliability of the information processed.
2. “Conflict environment.” Relationships of individuals can be like conflict [8]. Functioning in a conflict
environment means that there are two dynamic processes of confrontation in the information space:
The process of purposefully reducing the reliability of information to translate the information space
into a functionally volatile state. The main reason for its emergence is the interests of criminals,
whose purpose: to distort, replace, make inaccessible information resources for "legitimate" users.
Method of implementation - information attacks. The ability to successfully implement them is based
on weak links in the technical and social subsystems.
The process of improving the reliability of the information, which consists in choosing "reliable"
sources to counter attacks by attackers, restore damaged information resources, ensure the reliable
functioning of technical and social subsystems.
3. “Multiscale.” The information space is formed from multi-scale systems [9], which contain many
individuals and can be integrated into a global system of information interaction. Information spaces can
be interpenetrating. Processes in information space are implemented based on distributed applications, can
take place at different speeds, and have an impact on each other. Also, information resources can be added
and disappear in the process of functioning the information space. Ensuring the reliability of information
resources is achieved in a difficult control environment and requires the use of self-adaptive management
tools.
4. “Multi-connection.” Information space are usually multiconnected. This is the difference between
their elements, which are interconnected (individual—information, hardware-software—physically) and
can have both direct and feedback. The nature of information connections in the information space [10]
strongly depends on the psychophysiological, intellectual, and other states of individuals. The overall
structural reliability of the system and its components does not mean the stability of the information space,
on the contrary, in case of dissemination of false information, the purpose of the systems may be changed,
and new information processes will be considered as “dysfunction,” system instability.
5. “Self-organization.” Information space can be self-organizing, ie prone to independent autonomous
(not controlled from the outside) appearance and behavior. This means that the information space has the
ability, on the one hand, to become a “carrier of misinformation,” on the other—to take measures to self-
preservation and counteract external influences [11]. Clusters of nodes with changed targeting, which have
partially or completely lost the authorized control as a result of the attacking influence and seized resources,
can have a significant impact on ensuring the reliability of the information in a particular individual
entrepreneur.
Summarizing the selected properties of the environment, we note the following features of the
management of the process of ensuring the reliability of the information in the information space:
The process of ensuring the reliability of information is a poorly formalized object of management
because it is in conditions of significant uncertainty, the source of which is the technical and social
components of the information space. Uncertainty is associated with the large-scale and fragile
structure of individual entrepreneurs, which occur with high complexity in the system of information
processes, their inaccuracy, and lack of study. It is also important to mention the repeated
impossibility of quantitative measurement of the values of input and output parameters of
subsystems, their high mutual influence, which leads to a synergistic effect [12], and the emergence
of the properties of emergence [13]. This causes difficulties (and sometimes impossibility) in
building formal (analytical) models of individual procedures for managing the process of ensuring
the reliability of the information that takes into account the specifics of the information space.
The presence of the “human factor” leads to the fact that most of the characteristics of the reliability
of information resources lose their strict certainty: the links between social and technical subsystems
are described vaguely, remains open the question of the amount and composition of input data, as it
is unknown what may affect the behavior of the individual as an element of the system, etc. The
effect of control effects on humans is difficult to predict. Since the purpose of the system is
262
formulated by the decision-maker, or determined by a higher-level system qualitatively (i.e.,
vaguely), it leads to blurring, the emergence of “range of admissibility” in achieving the goal in
managing the process of information reliability.
If the classical methods of statistics apply to the removal of "uncertainty" in the study of the technical
subsystem, then they are not suitable for the social subsystem, because the uncertainty, in this case,
is subjective.
In contrast to the objective probability, which reflects the relative frequency of an event in the total
volume of observations, subjective probability means the degree of confidence of a person or group of
people (experts) that the event will take place.
Thus, the management of the process of ensuring the reliability of the information in the information
space should be considered as a complex intellectual problem-solving process, which can not be reduced
solely to rational choice. To support this process, it is advisable to use a cognitive approach to modeling
and management, as it aims to develop formal models and methods that support the intellectual process of
solving management problems, taking into account these models and methods of human cognitive abilities
[14–17].
5. Conclusion
The information space of society is the result of its evolution and is formed as a set of information,
information infrastructure, and entities that collect, form, disseminate and use information. Today, it is
increasingly seen as a field of information warfare in the technical and psychological domains. The
information space is the environment for the implementation of the communication process, which includes
the information resource, transmitter, communication channel, signal reception procedures, and the
recipient (recipient). Any of these elements may be influenced by stakeholders in the information
confrontation.
Features of the information space that affect the processes of information transfer in it are information
confrontation, which includes: the influence of the human factor, the presence of conflicts,
multidimensionality, multiconnection, and self-organization. One of the determinants is the influence of
information weapons on information, which includes a wide range of methods and means of information
influence - from misinformation and propaganda to means of electronic warfare. Information weapons are
sold through technical means (viruses and other malicious software, ART attacks, and physical impact on
information systems) and means of information and psychological influence: printed materials, media,
Internet resources, cognitive weapons. The possibility of influencing information is realized at any stage of
its existence - from the origin (observation, description, recording of facts) to the moment of delivery to the
final consumer.
6. References
[1] Theoretical approaches to the study of information space. http://lektsii.net/1-96772.html
[2] Tendencies of development of the information security system of Ukraine.
http://bibliofond.ru/view.aspx?id=652263
[3] The concept of information space. Educational materials online.
http://pidruchniki.com/1350052747708/informatika/ponyattya_-informatsiynogo_prostoru/
[4] S. I. Makarenko, Information confrontation and electronic warfare in network-centric wars of the
beginning of the XXI century. Monograph, Science Technologies, 2017.
[5] A. Shushatsky, et al., Analysis of approaches to the influence of electronic suppression on network-
centric control system, Control, navigation and communication systems, 6 (58), 129–139, 2019.
[6] P. I. Antonovich, Changing views on information confrontation at the present stage, Bulletin of the
Academy of Military Sciences, no. 1 (34), 43–47, 2011.
[7] L. M. Gruzdeva, On the task of increasing the productivity of the integrated ACS under the influence
of destabilizing factors, International Journal of Experimental Education 11, 446–448, 2015.
[8] V. A. Kovalev, S. Y. Pestova, Development of an information system for the formation of work
programs and funds of appraisal means, Applied Informatics in the Information Sphere, 29–36, 2015.
[9] O. K. Yudin, S. S. Buchik, State information resources. Methodology to induce the hazard classifier.
NAU, 2015.
263
[10] K. G. Abramov, Y. M. Monakhov, Stochastic models of the dissemination of unwanted information
in social networks, Collection of scientific papers Sworld., vol. 5 (4), 42-45, 2011.
[11] A. P. Kuznetsova, G. E. Monakhova, M. Y. Monakhov, Reputation of Internet data sources in the
information and analytical activities of the security administrator, Dynamics of complex systems, XXI
century V.10, 4, 78-81, 2016.
[12] D. M. Zhilin, Systems theory. M.: URSS, 2004.
[13] E. Folmer, J. Verhoosel, State of the Art on Semantic IS Standardization, Interoperability & Quality.
University of Twente, 2011.
[14] F. Kipchuk, et al., Assessing Approaches of IT Infrastructure Audit. In 2021 IEEE 8th International
Conference on Problems of Infocommunications, Science and Technology, PICST, 2021.
https://doi.org/10.1109/picst54195.2021.9772181
[15] V. Buriachok, V. Sokolov, P. Skladannyi, Security rating metrics for distributed wireless systems, in:
Workshop of the 8th International Conference on "Mathematics. Information Technologies.
Education": Modern Machine Learning Technologies and Data Science (MoMLeT and DS), vol. 2386,
222–233, 2019.
[16] V. Astapenya, et al., Last mile technique for wireless delivery system using an accelerating lens, in:
2020 IEEE International Conference on Problems of Infocommunications. Science and Technology,
2020. https://doi.org/10.1109/picst51311.2020.9467886.
[17] Y. Monakhov, et al., Methods for identifying semantic differentials for automating the assessment of
the psychosemantic profile of a user of a social network, Modern problems of science and education,
no 5, 2013. http://www.science-education.ru/111-10320
264