In the past week, the world has seen the devastating effects of terrorism. The Paris attacks were a tragic loss for the country, as well as the whole world, and have brought to light the fact that ISIS is waging direct war with the West and their practices. News networks have reported to the public the manner in which the seven coordinated attacks occurred, while revealing more information about the group's use of technology and social media.
One of the main contributing factors to the successful attacks last Friday was ISIS's use of technology. The separate groups of Jihadists communicated using cell phones, which allowed them to conduct their acts of terrorism at the same time. Close to the scene of one of the attacks, a member's cell phone was recovered, which revealed a text that translates to the effect of "OK, we're ready." This phone offers authorities more insight into their means of performing terrorist attacks, but it is not the first physical evidence that relates these Islamic Militants to their social media agenda.
In 2014, the public became aware of a series of beheading videos. The videos are a means for ISIS to urge followers to rise up and fight against the West. One of the gruesome, yet professionally made, videos contains a masked man warning the United States that ISIS is ready to fight the West. He then proceeds to execute one of the prisoners in an orange jumpsuit who is believed to be a Kurdish Peshmerga fighter. This video, along with the others, is used as both propaganda for those wanting to join ISIS and a way to boast about the control they have in the Middle East. ISIS's use of social media allows them to cultivate a sense of unity among their militants, as well as a confidence that drives the group to continue fighting.
Recruitment and the spreading of radical ideals is the main purpose of ISIS's presence on the worldwide web, most noticeably on Twitter. Through encrypted online communicators, the Jihadists are able to reach more sympathizers who are often young and willing to take out attacks in their home country. In the U.S., an example is Usaamah Rahim, who was "active on social media in ways that sparked interest" with ISIS (CNN). Through Facebook, he was able to reach out to the group, which authorities believe radicalized him and led him to become involved in the Boston terror plot. Among other examples is the attempted Charlie Hebdo attack in Garland, Texas, where the two attackers were thought to be in contact and direct planning with ISIS. The rising frequency of attacks like these show ISIS's reach throughout the world, which in recent years has become even more widespread and accessible.
In the past week, NBC News reported that ISIS has developed a 24 hour, seven-days a week help desk for any potential terrorists that want to join the extremist group. Using a series of different online platforms, they are able to avoid cyber security and law enforcement in order to send out propaganda, encrypted messages, and operational planning. Run by half a dozen senior operators, the Jihadi help desk is effectively able to "go dark," allowing them to train militants in digital operational security. Social media sites like Twitter, Skype, and YouTube are used to circulate tutorials on how to use these new technologies, through which ISIS is able to engage in person-to-person contact. Their ability to become undetectable and to have readily available information for militants is a growing threat, say officials.
Addressing and combating this cyber-terrorism is the notorious hacker group Anonymous. After the attacks last week, the group published a video declaring that they are launching their biggest cyberattack against ISIS yet. So far, they have begun tracking their digital footprint and started taking down hundreds of their Twitter accounts—the count last Tuesday being around 5,500. The process is being documented on Twitter with the hashtags #OpISIS, #OpParis, and #TangoDown. Anonymous vows to continue taking down even more of their websites, targeting sites specifically used for recruitment, funding, and operational planning. By exposing ISIS's communication techniques and money flow, the group could potentially overcome their capability to "go dark," which would allow government officials to more easily track their activity. While this goal is honorable, security specialists are nervous that the attempts to take down their encrypted communicators might only strengthen ISIS's security defenses.
ISIS's communication through technology and social media have allowed the Jihadist group to gain a larger presence in countries that they formerly would not have been able to fully access. With their rise in cyber security, country officials are becoming more aware that ISIS's main source of recruitment is over the Internet. For the everyday individual, this serves as a cautionary tale warning of the ways that these Islamic Militants can radicalize the young and impressionable.
