CIB Weekly Intelligence Brief | Vol. 01 | Iss. 02

Volume 1 | Issue 2 October 30, 2017
WEEKLY INTELLIGENCE BRIEF
Published by the Chanticleer Intelligence Brief at Coastal Carolina University in Conway, South Carolina, USA
IMAGE CREDIT: AL JAZEERA
GUNMEN KILL 13 GENDARMES IN
WESTERN NIGER
Daniel Lewis, Member, Africa Desk | October 25, 2017
A convoy of militants on motorcycles and trucks attacked a base
in western Niger on October 21, 2017. The attackers killed 13 and
wounded another five Nigerien police officers.
British newspaper The Guardian states that the attack occurred in the
town of Ayourou, which is located about 25 miles from the Mali-Niger
border.
Radio France Internationale stated that the attackers arrived in five
vehicles and, once reinforcements arrived, loaded up bodies and fled.
Reuters reported that the militants also managed to steal four Nigerien
army vehicles, and fled into Mali while being pursued.
While no militant group in the area has claimed the attack, there are a
number of active groups in the region that are affiliated with al-Qaeda
or with the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria. A joint task force known as
G5 Sahel was launched in an attempt to bring together the Sahel countries,
Mali, Niger, Chad, Mauritania and Burkina Faso, to fight these
militants as regional partners. Only time will tell if this coalition can
enforce an effective counterinsurgency effort.
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The Weekly Intelligence Brief is a publication
of the Chanticleer Intelligence Brief (CIB), a
student-run initiative supported by the Department
of Politics at Coastal Carolina University.
It operates as an ancillary practicum
for students in the Intelligence and National
Security Studies program who wish to cultivate
and refine their ability to gather, analyze
and present information in accordance with
techniques used in the intelligence profession
LINDSEY HAMILTON, EDITOR-IN-CHIEF
LOGAN JARRELL, ASSOCIATE EDITOR
The Weekly Intelligence Brief is supported by
the members of the CIB and through a generous
grant by the Edwards College Experiential
Learning Project at Coastal Carolina University

BOTNET “REAPER” IS
INFECTING MILLIONS
OF DEVICES
Kyle Brossard, Member, Cyber Desk,
October 29, 2017
Researchers at “Netlab 360” have detected
a botnet called “Reaper”, which is
spreading from one device to another.
It is said to be one of the largest botnets
in years. Currently almost two million
devices have been compromised.
[Editors’ note: Botnets are networks of individual
computers that are infected with malicious
software and controlled in a coordinated fashion
without their owners' knowledge]
Reaper infects internet connected webcams,
security cameras, and digital video recorders
(DVRs) according to ZDNet.
It quietly targets known vulnerabilities and
can take control of the device while also
spreading the malware to other devices.
Reaper allows the controller of the botnet
to hijack the device and issue any commands
they would like.
ZDNet said the intentions of the botnet are
unknown, researchers are unsure of when
or what the attack may entail.
Protection from the botnet is in the hands
of each device’s manufacturers, therefore
everyone is advised to keep updating all
devices that are connected to the internet.
I believe that the Reaper will cause great
damage in the near future either to home
devices or in a coordinated, large-scale infrastructure
attack.
THIRD ISSUE OF THE INTELLIGENCE
REVIEW NOW OUT
The CIB is pleased to announce the publication of the third issue
of The Intelligence Review, a volume of useful analytical forecasts
by CIB analysts, which relate to some of the most pressing
questions in global security today.
The first issue of The Intelligence Review was published in July of
2016 to showcase the work of the CIB both online and in print. It contained
11 articles from nearly every geographical section of the CIB. It
was followed by a second issue of the journal, published in March of
this year.
The volume is the product of a transatlantic collaboration between the
CIB and the European Intelligence Academy (EIA), a network of intelligence
studies scholars, specialists
and students, who are
dedicated to promoting intergence
scholarship and research.
In this volume, eight CIB analysts
tackle some of the most
pressing and timely questions
confronting intelligence experts
today. Topics include the current
and projected strength of
the Islamic State in Libya, the
status of unification efforts on
the island of Cyprus, the future
of the government in Venezuela,
and the United States’ place in
the Paris climate agreement.
There are also papers examining
the construction of energy
pipelines in Central Asia, as well
as aspects of Iranian geopolitics
in relation to the United
States. Last, though certainly not least, we have included an estimative
intelligence analysis of the first round of this year’s presidential
elections in France. It refers to an event of global significance that has
already taken place. However, it is included in this volume as an illustration
of the power of intellectual accuracy and the ability of an intelligence
analyst to achieve 100 percent accuracy —as this analyst does—
by methodically considering and evaluating the analytical parameters
of her question with the right balance of precision and intuition.
The CIB analysts whose work is included in the first issue of The Intelligence
Review are, in alphabetical order: Tahleia Bishop, Kayla
“Ace” Chambers, Kiersten Chambers, Benjamin Dunham, Connor Kilgore,
Jack Lincoln, Casey Mallon, and Troy Ramsbacher. The issue
is edited by CIB Faculty Mentor Dr. Joseph Fitsanakis and includes a
foreword by EIA Director Dr. John Nomikos.
CIB MEMBERSHIP MEETING ON WEDNESDAY,
OCTOBER 25, 2017
You can read the first three issues of The Intelligence Review on the
CIB’s website, www.cibrief.org. To order printed copies of any issue,
contact the CIB.