The online tools used by terrorists should come as no surprise
Terrorism has been front and center lately thanks to high profile attacks around the world and the scare tactics being used in the current US election. But how do these people communicate? What is the tool of choice for today's Jihadist – well the ones that don't fire bullets or blow up.
Communications and internet are essential to any modern group. Flashpoint Security took a look into what programs are most prevalent, and results are largely unsurprising.
The researchers ranked them, but there's no way of knowing if they really are in order. The top item is a secure browser, of which both Tor and Opera seem to be the top choices.
This is followed by Virtual Private Networks (VPN). The report states "Jihadists have been leveraging VPNs and proxy services to further enhance online browsing security since long before ISIS developed a public Internet presence. These technologies first appeared within jihadist circles back in 2012, when members of an official Al-Qaida Deep and Dark Web forum discussed the use of CyberGhostVPN. They explained it as, 'a new technology that uses (SSL/TLS) protocol through the local server you use, which makes your communication through the network create an encrypted and secure tunnel'".
Others on the list include protected email services such as Hush-mail, mobile security that provides fake GPS locations, encrypted messengers like WhatsApp, and propaganda apps released by the organizations such as Alphabet, released by ISIS and geared towards children.
The report concludes "Although technology is not typically associated with jihadists, it is their lifeblood. Jihadists’ reliance on technology for survival pushes the jihadist community to constantly learn, adapt, and advance through various technological tools".
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