The Dark Web of Terrorism -An Inescapable Reality Cyber-terrorism is a form of extreme Islamic terrorism that poses a threat to almost every facet of our daily life. Part I of a three-part series on Dark Web terrorism, the "military" version of cyber-terrorism, which is even less well known. Sam Elrom (11/26/2007) http://www.omedia.org/Show_Article.asp?DynamicContentID=2721 <http://www.omedia.org/Show_Article.asp?DynamicContentID=2721&MenuID=603> &MenuID=603 Ever since the Internet became widely popular there have been malevolent figures testing the tremendous power available at their fingertips, resulting in a growing number of viruses, worms, spam, phishing, hacking into protected systems, etc. The more large businesses and enterprises developed protective systems, the more it posed a new challenge to those who were doing it "just for fun," while those who were doing it maliciously began to feel they were unstoppable. The evolvement of new forms of terrorism and structures, which began with the splintering of Al Qaeda in Afghanistan, forced them to find ways to regroup. The first revival attempts were virtual, using existing websites while the leaders remained in hiding, trying to stay alive as the manhunt launched by US-led coalition partners intensified. Cyber-connectivity wasn't born in 2000, but the use of the Web as an initiation to terror and an instructional tool expanded 300 percent that year alone because the "official" websites used by terrorist groups before 9/11 were the only safe venues to reconnect and regroup. The new reality Al Qaeda faced immediately after 9/11 led to what experts called "the critical convergence period," which was characterized by fewer face-to-face meetings and more use of new methods and interconnectivity through the Internet. At that time, and even before realizing what a powerful tool it could be, the Internet was used as a last resort because it anonymously maintained contact and because the anti-terror forces chasing them were not prepared to deal with it yet. After the first shock following the demise of Al Qaeda in Afghanistan, Osama Bin Laden and Al-Zuhairi had neither the knowledge nor the power to organize or direct members using the Internet as a safe alternative; it was all created by local terror leaders desperately looking for ways to survive and simply find out what was going on. And the better, the faster and more reliable the Internet becomes, the easier and safer it is for them to operate sites that contain and convey all the essential information. It also maintains the necessary degree of high alertness and operational readiness among the foot soldiers backed by the religious figures, who either appear in person or whose fatwas containing indoctrination and incendiary messages are cited on the website as a faith backup for those who carry the bombs and carry out the attacks. More than 5,000 Al Qaeda Internet sympathizers and supporting websites operate today. From the believers' perspective this is a virtual New Caliphate of global domination and spreading Islam in a borderless environment all over the globe. Cyberspace becomes the means, the teaching tool, the communication facilitator, the planning forum and the coordination desk, all wrapped in one bundle of almost untraceable electronic transmission that allows terrorist groups to function and thrive. The more terrorists use organized crime as an operational partner, the less time is needed for basic coordination and preparations, because it is carried out by their criminal partners. Such activities can include weapons, explosives, operatives and funding, and also preparation of safehouses, target-scouting and escorting the attackers to the target, which they may have not seen before. The pact with organized crime minimizes the burden of simultaneous operation capabilities conducted from one command center, as seen in the 9/11 attacks. Al Qaeda leaders have to provide the operational instructions, codes and general guidelines as well as the spiritual and religious backup; the rest is in the hands of their criminal partners. The use of the Internet as part of terrorism tools is actually the big story, much more than the new horizontal structure of the terrorism web. It had a stronger impact on the war on terror than because we were unprepared to deal with either the new flat structure of the reorganized terror groups or with the creative way of using the Web as a tool that compensates for the loss of central command. Terrorists also discovered that the Internet is an excellent attack weapon because: . It doesn't require field training (in fact the training is already built into the website itself) . There are no other preparations after the site is up . Changing the content and updating is done remotely . Technical support in minimal . It serves as an excellent tool for scouting, recruiting and real-time intelligence In other words, all terrorists need is a handful of IT professionals and a hosting server. It may not be as spectacular as detonating an IED or a car bomb in a busy underground parking lot, but the actual damage can be more disastrous and create more chaos by far. If terrorism is by nature an underground organization running covert activities, the use of the Internet opened, increased and reinforced terrorists' effectiveness. We become aware of it only when a terror attack actually happens. The threat is always there but we don't know the "where," "when" and "how." We're in an overly reactive mode, which diminishes the chances of thwarting terrorists' plans. The real threat to industries and the business community is largely hidden mainly because: . Enhanced security means spending lots of money on "virtual" threats . The experts debate whether cyber-terrorism could do enough economic damage to bring down Western economies . The government invests mostly in programs that protect its own systems, leaving the protection of other, private and commercial systems in the hands of the owners, in spite of the intra- and inter-connectivity within private and public systems and endless connections between the them and the systems run by the state and federal authorities . It becomes more problematic to receive budgets for new and improved security measures before quantifiable evidence of the threat can be shown. But by the time such evidence becomes available, it's usually too late to intervene. Cyber-Terrorism and Computer Security There is a rapidly increasing dependency on information technology. Any modern economic, military and even social system relies heavily on IT and vital national infrastructure sites, and routine management and maintenance systems rely even more heavily on IT. The main systems are so deeply interconnected that it is almost impossible to articulate a defined perimeter of activity for each such system, which by itself controls so many sub-systems and sub-sub systems. This is especially true regarding state and federal systems, which obviously are complicated, susceptible to catastrophic crashes and difficult to run and maintain, making them a prime target for terrorists. Just as non-militant cyber-terrorism is generally defined as using computing resources to harm, create local panic, coerce and intimidate people, government systems and financial and business entities, Dark Web terrorism uses similar means in its attempts to wreak destruction based on the same reasons of hate, ideology and extreme beliefs. It's hard to draw a line between cyber- and Dark Web terrorism because both use the same means and methods. The only distinctive characteristic is in the intensity and final goal. While cyber- terrorism focuses efforts (in many cases through a single hacker) to attack certain institutions he/she hates, Dark Web terrorism uses the Web for many purposes, including destroying infrastructure and central government capabilities. Terrorists' Main Objectives in Using the Internet Spreading the gospel of terror - Through a sophisticated combination of religion (distorted views of Islam, discussion forums, favorable fatwas that back up the terrorists' approach, etc.) and materials (easy access to links and forums, visual images of the war against the West, real-time video clips of attacks) terrorists can disseminate messages and statements made by leaders and other "respected" figures, such as radical imams, media quotes and quotes from Western leaders that indicate discord or weakness. Cyberspace is also used effectively to communicate special events, remind followers of special anniversaries, declare martyrs and evoke their sacrifice, teach their version of history and propagate ideology through animation and other visuals. Gaining publicity and popularity - Being aware that public opinion is of utmost importance, as is staying in top of local and international news, terrorists use the cybernet to generate news, disseminating misinformation to create news and develop close relations with handpicked journalists. They show great sophistication in providing counter interviews and responses to law enforcement and government declarations and activities, diminishing the effectiveness of actions against them. Furthermore, terrorist leaders release recorded messages and videos to show that they are still in control, thus lowering the public morale and will to fight. Taking advantage of journalists' penchant for scoops, they engage in a continuous give-and-take with them through third parties, providing an uninterrupted flow of news. This information - and disinformation - is then used on their websites to strengthen and consolidate ideology and prove how ineffective governments' efforts are, which boosts morale. This is achieved by providing selected information resources, mostly international; favorable, raw, doctored and easy-to-understand interpretations of the news; maps and similar material to back up written material; and translations to and from various languages intended for their followers and the international media. Cyber-terrorists may also make available banners and special features like logos, insignias, video clips and other features that are downloadable and are widely used by the Western media and academia. A platform for better communication - The websites provide peer-to-peer and peer-to-multiple-source communication while maintaining anonymity. They are also the best and most effective means for messaging and searching for people (remember, terrorists use nicknames, pseudonyms, rank-defining names and special identification names given by their leaders; looking up a certain name could become a daunting and useless effort without guidance). Various features are available to simplify the process: Facilitate funding efforts - The Internet is widely used for fundraising and to organize local fundraisers. It also allows money to be moved around without being tracked easily, and enables fund transfers and exchanges of money for other needed material, weapons and explosives. Thwart law enforcement and run counterintelligence operations -The Internet is a very efficient tool for disseminating false information, setting traps and falsifying information intended to discourage law enforcement and encourage terrorism. Operators with Web savvy can send law enforcement organizations chasing after false leads, plant erroneous information in formats liked by academia, discredit viable information thereby creating an environment of doubt and sense of uselessness, move websites from server to server to keep them protected, send encrypted messages and post instructions. Recruiting and training -The Internet proved to be a very effective and powerful recruiting and training tool. Again, it enables goals that until a short time ago required real training camps and public rallies. Today, all this and more is achieved through the Internet. No wonder terrorist organizations invest so much in this venue, transforming it into the most used means of communication for recruitment, training and planning. This is done by employing visual devices (flashy logos, banners and clips), conveying messages that speak to the mind and soul of browsers carrying the same religious convictions and jihad views, creating and hosting martyr (shaiid) legends and hosting speeches by prominent leaders, propagating directives, fatwas and religious justification and commands to join the forces of jihad and preparing to develop, launch, maintain and update a huge number of dynamic online libraries that offer training resources using a wide range of pedagogical means, ranging from written material, to cartoons and video clips, and backed up by real videos from actual attacks (mostly from Iraq and Afghanistan). Activity coordination, prevention and warnings -The Internet proved to be the most significant positive development in the global terrorism movement. It eliminated the need to actually group in order to train, receive indoctrination or raise funds. Once terrorists understood the importance and the unlimited resources of the Internet, most of the more dangerous activities shifted to this venue. Moreover the Internet became a very effective tool allowing collaboration between terrorists and organized crime, which caught law enforcement unprepared. Instead of the old, ineffective and highly dangerous means of communications, especially in emergency situations, terrorists use the Internet almost exclusively. Moving websites from hosting servers to other locations is essential for maintaining a horizontal, dispersed organizational structure, while leaders remain in the shadows. In summary, the very existence of terrorist networks - especially Al Qaeda after the Afghanistan collapse - was at stake, with leaders on the run, non-existing training camps and a sense of doom. The Internet became the only secure way to communicate and draw some help and comfort, but it turned into a new weapon as time has passed. The second part of this series will deal with those that doubt the power of the Internet as a killer tool. We'll bring the pros and cons and let you decide whether the Dark Web is as dangerous as described, or just an erroneous interpretation of events. (F)AIR USE NOTICE: All original content and/or articles and graphics in this message are copyrighted, unless specifically noted otherwise. All rights to these copyrighted items are reserved. Articles and graphics have been placed within for educational and discussion purposes only, in compliance with "Fair Use" criteria established in Section 107 of the Copyright Act of 1976. 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