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times. 104 Thus, the Cyber Age is offering insurgents new tools of operational
empowerment.
Insurgent website operators must remain anonymous, and so they
create anonymous accounts. It usually is not known who is pressing the keys to
publish the message. Insurgents use the net to conduct hit and run tactics,
sending viruses out from one machine in a neutral location (cybercafé) and then
moving to some safer computer sanctity. Further, the Internet provides
insurgents with the logistic support they require. The Internet’s infrastructure is
continuously updated free of charge, and new methods to attack the Internet are
continuously posted at hacker sites—again free of charge.
Reconnaissance of an objective is an important operation before an
attack. Reconnaissance is also possible on the Internet to obtain vital
information about attack objectives. This might occur before a computer attack
or before an attempt to gain access to targeting information (such as a building
design). It is not known if insurgents have used this technique, but it is
important to note that although reconnaissance is an old tactic, new and
possibly more effective methods of using it are available.
The SDBot.UJ worm offers an example of reconnaissance on the
Internet. It scans passing traffic for patterns of data “that normally precede the
transmission of a username and password.” It then records the data sent
immediately afterwards if it spots such a pattern. It does the same for electron
packets containing PayPal, a web service for the transfer of money. Network
reconnaissance is achieved through the use of a sniffer program, which
monitors packets. 105 In this case insurgents may conduct reconnaissance to gain
access to a computer to do one of several things: look for computer or network
vulnerabilities, access sensitive files, or ascertain the level of police awareness
of their activities.
Hostage-taking is possible via the Internet as well. Insurgents can break
into a database and encode several important files. In order to get the “key” to
unscramble the code, the owner of the file may have to pay a ransom. The
important file thus becomes the hostage. Public opinion can also be held
hostage. As is the case with the hostage-taking in Iraq, demands can be made
for the withdrawal of troops or some other request. If these demands are not
met, insurgents can demonstrate to the whole world how a person suffered or
104 “Al Qaeda Suspect Reveals Communication Strategy,” 4 August 2004,
http://www.cnn.com.
105 “Computer Worm ‘Sniffs’ out Passwords,” NewScientist.com news service, 14
September 2004, p. 1.
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