Hackers fight terrorists

Sun Online (UK) ^ | Wed, 27 Jul 2005 | PETE BELL

[JohnathanRGalt]

Enemy at the door ... al-Muhajiroun propaganda

 

Hackers fight terrorists

By PETE BELL
Sun Online

THE INTERNET has become the latest frontline in the war against terror.

With the world wide web increasingly used as the main instrument of propaganda and communication for extreme religious groups like al-Qaeda, MI5 and patriotic hackers have formed an unlikely alliance to close down their sites.

Prime Minister Tony Blair announced this morning the Government would be looking at options to tackle the problem.

Alarmingly, experts believe al-Qaeda’s master hacker is running the terrorist group’s central communications hub from the UK.

Impressionable youngsters are targeted through the web by sinister fringe organisations posing as religious groups, as terror organisations recruit gullible young men by bombarding them with lies about western Governments and hysterical calls to Jihad.

Neil Doyle - an expert in terrorists' use of the internet and author of the book Terror Tracker - believes since the July 7 bombings, MI5 have changed their tactics in the cyber-war.

An MI5 unit monitors suspect websites constantly and Mr Doyle believes that since the first London bombings, rather than simply watching the sites and harvesting them for intelligence, agents are actively working to get the sites closed down.

And he says patriotic hackers are joining in to help.

Talking exclusively to the Sun Online, he said: "Al-Qaeda has pioneered the use of the Internet and it has a high number of computer specialists among its ranks. They are able to use a wide variety of methods to mask where they are operating.

"They are continually innovating and adapting to stay one step ahead of their pursuers.

"But they occasionally make mistakes. It's my understanding that the person considered to be al-Qaeda's master hacker is operating out of London right now.

"Britain is al-Qaeda's central communications hub and much of its online activities are co-ordinated from here.
 
"There are signs that the British security services are now pushing hard to close off their communications channels. Most of the best-known UK jihad sites went off the air on July 7 and that has now spread to the Middle East."

He added: "MI5 is known to have a team of computer specialists who are devoted to monitoring these kinds of sites.

"The policy in the past seems to have been to let these sites continue to operate and sit back and soak-up the intelligence. It looks like that's now been abandoned and they've gone on the offensive.
 
"We also see civilian hackers who have mounted something of an online anti-jihad.

"The role of patriotic hackers in taking down extremists websites is clouded in deep secrecy, as it is illegal. The FBI has put out a statement in the past warning them to stop or face prosecution.
 
"The simple rule of thumb is that if a site has gone down quickly, maybe within minutes or hours after first being identified, it's likely to be hackers. Hosting companies and the authorities are usually slow to react and often nothing can be done, unless there's been a clear breach of the law.

"If it's a borderline freedom of speech issue, then it's likely that there will be little that the authorities can do and the hosting company is likely side with its customer.
 
"Cyber-terrorism and physical terrorism go hand in hand. The bombers need secure communications and funding and the internet provides both of these things.

Masked gunman ... web propoganda call to Jihad

"There are a myriad of ways that terrorists can contact each other in safety and that can even take place openly on publicly-accessible sites. Funding is not a problem if you have access to the Net.

"Terrorist groups and their supporters are known to be heavily involved in credit card fraud. It's too easy."

Mr Doyle says a group claiming to be north London-based al-Muhajiroun - which used to be led by hate-preaching cleric Omar Bakri Mohammed -  has just launched a series of new websites to spread their message.

Bakri said last year he had dissolved the group, which wants to establish Taliban-style governments across the world.

The expert said, as the Internet is impossible to regulate, it is difficult to close down terror sites for long. Pressure can be put on the companies that host the propaganda and sites can be attacked by hacking, but it is easy to get them up and running again by changing the host.

Although the vile sites have been hosted by companies in many different countries, the UK used to be popular with extremist groups, but security service tactics seem to have dealt with this.

Ironically, the US is now the country where most of these sites are hosted.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) says that it would be 'unconstitutional' and against the US constitution's First Amendment on freedom of speech if they were to pressure the hosting companies.

Frighteningly, Mr Doyle says, governments across the world face a seemingly impossible task in policing the Internet and admits: "It is a nightmare task".

http://www.thesun.co.uk/article/0,,2004600000-2005330747,00.html

[JohnathanRGalt]

"The role of patriotic hackers in taking down extremists websites is clouded in deep secrecy, as it is illegal. The FBI has put out a statement in the past warning them to stop or face prosecution.

So the FBI is protecting the terror sites from the hackers?

[JohnathanRGalt]

Jehadi website ping: (let me know if you want on or off)

[Prime Choice]

"Cyber-terrorism and physical terrorism go hand in hand. The bombers need secure communications and funding and the internet provides both of these things."

If ever there were a more clueless remark made about "cyber-terrorism," it has yet to be published.

Information warfare is better suited to espionage. Outages of services don't evoke a sense of terror; they evoke annoyance. Sheesh.

The Myth of Cyber-Terrorism.

[Cindy]

Thanks for the ping Mr. Galt.

[RandallFlagg]

[Brad’s Gramma]

LOL!!! WHAT a night that was!

[John Filson]

Why bother with packets? Just follow the wires to where they end.

[Cindy]

http://networks.silicon.com/webwatch/0,39024667,39150640,00.htm

"Terrorist websites "unacceptable", says Clarke
Government to track extremists in database..."

By Dan Ilett

Published: Thursday 21 July 2005

ARTICLE SNIPPET: "The government has announced plans to clamp down on people who run websites that incite terrorism.

In a parliamentary speech yesterday, Home Secretary Charles Clarke said in going beyond the boundaries of usual national security measures, the government would have to "tread carefully" around free speech.

Clarke said: "I have decided that it is right to broaden the use of these powers to deal with those who foment terrorism, or seek to provoke others to commit terrorist acts. To that end, I intend to draw up a list of unacceptable behaviours that fall within those powers - for example, preaching, running websites or writing articles that are intended to foment or provoke terrorism."
According to Hansard, Clarke said the Foreign and Commonwealth Office and intelligence agencies are to build a database that contains details of people who provoke terrorism.

Immigration officers will have access to the database, which ministers could also use when deciding whether to exclude people from the UK, Clarke added."

[CBart95]

Hackers are terrorists. A "patriotic hacker" is a contradiction in terms.
Well meaning criminal tech weenies desiring to help our country in this time of war are illegal and unwelcome.
We have an administration and authorized experts running matters. Cyber-vigilantes are as welcome as a bowl of Cancer.
Reading one book on terrorism is a great way to earn a Phd. in Cluelessness...with a minor in condescension.

[netmilsmom]

I love that!

[isom35]

I have told people this many times. advertise for hackers, put them in room they are used to, like a basement, tell them they will be paid with babes, booze, and whatever, and they will find osama's accounts and drain them.

[Wiz]

ping

[LTCJ]

Place me on your pinglist, please.

[Northern Alliance]

Is that James Cagney? Public Enemy #1 or something like that?

[John Filson]

I think it's from the Matrix #1, but I'm not sure.

[mastercylinder]

I would like to join please

[Northern Alliance]

I think it's from the Matrix #1, but I'm not sure

Well, I guess that dates me! ;-). Yeah, I see the credit for the boots on the bottom now. Sure looks like Cagney.

[John Filson]

If you're really dated, you might consider that in that movie scene, if it's the one I'm thinking of, the protagonists storm the antagonists' virtual lair (a bureaucratic high rise). It could be considered an analogy for breaking a computer's security perimeter in in this genre of fiction.

[MadJack]

Help fund Internet Haganah. http://haganah.us/haganah

[tkathy]

"Impressionable youngsters are targeted through the web by sinister fringe organisations posing as religious groups, as terror organisations recruit gullible young men by bombarding them with lies about western Governments and hysterical calls to Jihad......"

There are parallels with the methods of islamists recruiting the young and vulnerable, with the drug culture and the porn industry and the gay community recruiting the young and vulnerable.