Tuesday, May 7, 2013

New English-language jihadi publication calls on Muslims to hack US drones

 

New English-language jihadi publication calls on Muslims to hack US drones

http://rt.com/news/jihadi-publication-appeals-drone-hacking-907/

 

Published time: May 06, 2013 23:33

 

A new magazine set up by Islamist radicals in Afghanistan and Pakistan is

appealing to Muslims of the world to collaborate in developing new methods

and technology to undermine American drone operations.

 

Publishing under the title "Azan," the magazine's first edition became

available on May 5, according to the SITE intelligence group. The sprawling

80-page issue, available online as a PDF, includes a lengthy section that

evaluates drone strikes while making the case for a mass movement to

undermine their impact.

 

The editorial calls for assistance against drones as a "sacred duty" of the

Ummah, or the Muslim community.

 

"These drones can be hacked and manipulated as evidenced by the efforts of

the Iraq Mujahideen. Furthermore, they can be destroyed using various

technologies that the Mujahideen are working on. But the Muslims of the

world must question themselves as to what role they are playing in helping

these innocent Muslims with the abilities that Allah Has Given them. This is

a call to anyone in the Islamic Ummah with knowledge, expertise and theories

regarding anti-drone technology."

 

The hacking to which the article refers is a 2009 incident in which Iraqi

insurgents evidently deployed commercial software called SkyGrabber to tap

into live video feeds put out by US Predator drones in Iraqi airspace.

 

The story, originally reported by the Wall Street Journal, attributed the

exploit to Iranian-backed militants. At the time, the report also suggested

that drones in Afghanistan had been exploited in the same manner.

 

"Any opinions, thoughts, ideas and practical implementations to defeat this

drone technology must be communicated to us as early as possible because

these would aid the Ummah greatly in its war against the Crusader-Zionist

enemy," reads the entreaty by the magazine's editors.

 

Azan depicts Pakistan's Army and government as collaborators with the US in

the continuing American drone campaign, though the US is shown to be the

"main culprit."

 

A significant portion of the magazine's drone editorial is dedicated to

describing how local spies and militants are recruited and bribed by the

Pakistani Army from such locations as Miranshah Camp, and count on the

assistance of other groups, such as KFP (Koast Protection Force), which is

described by Azan as "an Afghan organization, whose hypocritical and beguile

exploits are known."

 

As to any technical insights provided, these mainly pertain to the methods

by which "chips" and other call signs are left by the alleged US/Pakistani

Army recruits on the homes, and sometimes the vehicles, of targeted

militants.

 

What is perhaps most intriguing about the jihadi publication's analysis of

the drone threat is its portrayal of Pakistan's so-called duplicity, basing

much of its ideological reasoning on quotes by an ex-Pakistan senior air

force  officer, Sultan Hali, who himself has criticized his country's deep

involvement in US drone strikes.

 

"It is convenient to have the US as a scapegoat. You can easily say that

these drone attacks are being done by the Americans. The Americans don't

really like this policy of ours and they have declared their displeasure at

this many times. But still, it is in our interest that we continue to blame

the Americans regarding this, because if we admit to the killing of innocent

women and children alongside running the entire drone system, then the

results will be disastrous. The consequences shall have to be faced by

whichever political party is in power."

 

Azan covers regions where Al-Qaeda operates ranging from Syria to Mali, but

mostly concentrates on Pakistan.

 

As to whether Azan might be successful in fomenting a credible technological

threat to US drone operations is unclear, though both its political analysis

and what technical analysis there is of drone strikes suggests that it could

pose a concern in the future.

 

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