Hackers Join the Fight Against ISIS
Posted by: Timothy Weaver on 04/03/2017 10:29 AM
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Hackers are taking aim at ISIS websites in order to take them down.
In one such attack, hackers penetrated the terrorist groupâs Amaq propaganda website and planted malware disguised as an update. The malware is able to activate cameras, log keystrokes, steal files, read phone messages, take screenshots, detect GPS locations and collect contacts from unsuspecting jihadis.
The Independent tried to access the site and was immediately warned by Google that the site contained malware that âmight attempt to install dangerous programs on your computer that steal or delete your informationâ including photos, passwords and credit cards.
Charlie Winter, a senior research fellow at the International Centre for the Study of Radicalisation and Political Violence (ICSR), was delighted by the hacking and said the extremists were becoming âagitatedâ by intensifying online attacks.
âItâs leaving a lot of Isis paranoid and itâs a joy to behold,â he told The Independent.
âSomethingâs afoot. Someone is putting a lot of effort in sowing discord and paranoia â itâs very effective.â
Gregg Housh, a former Anonymous activist, said that the collective are using a variety of methods to take down ISIS websites including DDoS attacks.
âI think the hacktivists are winning the battle for one very simple reason,â he told The Independent.
âWhen you have to move, your user base has to find the new sites and accounts.
âItâs hard to build a large following and a large amount of influence if you have to keep jumping around to new domains, new hosts and new Twitter accounts.â
Hackers are also getting help from government agencies. The British Governmentâs Counter Terrorism Internet Referral Unit, which searches for extremist material and works with internet companies to take it down, has helped remove 250,000 pieces of extremist content since 2010, working at a current rate of 2,000 per week.
Source: The Independent
In one such attack, hackers penetrated the terrorist groupâs Amaq propaganda website and planted malware disguised as an update. The malware is able to activate cameras, log keystrokes, steal files, read phone messages, take screenshots, detect GPS locations and collect contacts from unsuspecting jihadis.The Independent tried to access the site and was immediately warned by Google that the site contained malware that âmight attempt to install dangerous programs on your computer that steal or delete your informationâ including photos, passwords and credit cards.
Charlie Winter, a senior research fellow at the International Centre for the Study of Radicalisation and Political Violence (ICSR), was delighted by the hacking and said the extremists were becoming âagitatedâ by intensifying online attacks.
âItâs leaving a lot of Isis paranoid and itâs a joy to behold,â he told The Independent.
âSomethingâs afoot. Someone is putting a lot of effort in sowing discord and paranoia â itâs very effective.â
Gregg Housh, a former Anonymous activist, said that the collective are using a variety of methods to take down ISIS websites including DDoS attacks.
âI think the hacktivists are winning the battle for one very simple reason,â he told The Independent.
âWhen you have to move, your user base has to find the new sites and accounts.
âItâs hard to build a large following and a large amount of influence if you have to keep jumping around to new domains, new hosts and new Twitter accounts.â
Hackers are also getting help from government agencies. The British Governmentâs Counter Terrorism Internet Referral Unit, which searches for extremist material and works with internet companies to take it down, has helped remove 250,000 pieces of extremist content since 2010, working at a current rate of 2,000 per week.
Source: The Independent
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