Monday, September 10, 2012

The Civilian Cyberwar Against Al Qaeda

Jeff Bardin, 54, logs into an Al Qaeda website from his home office in Barre, Mass. A former Air Force linguist who is fluent in Arabic, he is part of a loose network of "hacktivists" who spy on Al Qaeda and its allies. (Brian Bennett / Los Angeles Times / August 26, 2012)

Civilian 'Hacktivists' Fight Terrorists Online -- L.A. Times

The digital vigilantes, some working barefoot from home, spy on Al Qaeda and its allies, penetrating chat rooms and other sites seeking recruits.

BARRE, Mass. — Working from a beige house at the end of a dirt road, Jeff Bardin switches on a laptop, boots up a program that obscures his location, and pecks in a passkey to an Internet forum run by an Iraqi branch of Al Qaeda.

Soon the screen displays battle flags and AK-47 rifles, plus palm-lined beaches to conjure up a martyr's paradise.

"I do believe we are in," says Bardin, a stout, 54-year-old computer security consultant.

Read more ....

My Comment: The Taliban are doing the same thing against our soldiers.

No comments: