CYBER CALIPHATE PUBLICATIONS
ISIS regularly releases two full colored magazines ( ISIS publications ) , complete with feature articles Dabiq and Kybernetiq. Dabiq is a regular 60 to 80-page publication that promotes the extremist ideology as well as containing editorial pieces about current events. Kybernetiq is a December 2015 ISIS publication released in German, which teaches information security and operational security to ISIS militants.
Dabiq
It is possible that ISIS will draw in new recruits or mercenary hackers through one of its publications. Dabiq is a regular 60 to 80-page publication that promotes the extremist ideology as well as containing editorial pieces about current events. Dead suicide bombers and insurgents are treated like celebrities in a subliminal attempt to glorify their actions for new recruits to emulate. Some articles indicate that the editors pay close attention to American and British politics. Meanwhile, ISIS regularly refer to members as slaves, terrorists, jihadists, and other intuitively derogative terms. ISIS does not fight for freedom or to change the view of the world. To them, they fight in service to vengeful Allah, and they are willing to take any bloody action necessary to fulfill their perversion of Islam. The publication is filled with images of dead bodies and nightmarish brutality intended to shock and awe the reader. The magazine regularly attempts to persuade new readers to embark on a “Hijrah,” or the trip to join ISIS. Every Western soldier, civilian, or politician, regardless of race, creed, or views, is referred to as a “Crusader.” The articles regularly encourage “true” Muslims who cannot physically join the Islamic State to go out and murder the “Crusaders” near them. Most of the hate and vitriol in the articles is directed against Muslims who shy away from or ideologically differ from ISIS. Individuals who conduct lone-wolf attacks against either enemy, such as the two men who attempted to murder people at a Draw Mohammed event, receive full spreads in the magazine. Abdelhamid Abaaoud, a Belgian citizen and one of the planners of the November 13, 2015 Paris attacks, openly provided a detailed account of his travels and intentions in the seventh edition of Dabiq magazine, prior to the attacks. Further, in case the promise of glory fails, violent videos, twitter tags and social media columns aim to entice young readers into the cause through an engendered sense of community.
It is clear throughout the 11 issues of Dabiq, that ISIS believes that a U.S. led invasion is inevitable. In fact, the group desires violent reprisals that hasten such an invasion because they believe that Allah will destroy enemy armies in the Dabiq valley of Syria. Allied airstrikes and United States cyber-attacks harm ISIS in ways that it cannot yet reciprocate. Moreover, the magazine regularly features images and stories praising the allied forces for the influx of weapons, seized through conflicts, into the region.
Dabiq unintentionally reveals that ISIS is financially unstable. A combination of airstrikes on oil production equipment, airstrikes on cash sites, and decreased tax revenue that results from refugees fleeing the areas, has caused ISIS to experience fiscal strain. Currently, it spends roughly half of its revenue just paying its soldiers. Articles in Dabiq attempt to scare refugees from fleeing the territories by propagating stories of foreign xenophobia or of the deaths of child refugees. Dabiq also features pleading calls for technical and specialized professionals to join the cause. Information Security and Information Technology professionals are included in these aspirational recruits. The more educated professionals ISIS manages to draw into its leadership structure, the more dangerous it will become in its terror campaign against the world.
Kybernetiq
Kybernetiq is a December 2015 ISIS publication released in German, which teaches information security and operational security to ISIS militants. The author, “iMujahid” opens the jihadist cyber-war publication saying, “It is very important to us that our brothers and sisters learn the proper handling of software and hardware. Once the West’s technological and scientific progress was banished as the devil’s work… we tended to demonize the work of the infidels…It is time to learn about its enormous importance of technology and learn how to apply it correctly.” The articles contained within include advice on how to remain vigilant when communicating with fellow jihadists, and warnings such as “The enemy is reading with you. Stay vigilant and don’t underestimate them.” The initial issue explains Open PGP encryption and alternatives to WhatsApp, Gmail, and Hotmail. Readers are instructed to only share information, even with trusted parties, out of necessity. Essentially, the initial issue of Kybernetiq is an introductory course in privacy and information security. The publication is alarming because it poses as a mechanism by which the technical minority of ISIS can train the majority to prevent data loss and potentially to conduct attacks. Imagine the harm that could be wrought if the next issue taught every member of ISIS how to conduct a DDoS or ransomware attack. Even if there are only 20,000 members, the sheer number of attacks could impact an enemy nation state. ISIS militants are, for the most part, devout followers willing to do anything necessary in service to their malformed ideology. Radical zealots are one of the rarest and most terrifying cyber-adversaries. These cyber-martyrs would have no qualms attacking any target in the world, including hospitals, schools, or critical infrastructure facilities, with malware so long as ”Crusaders” suffered as a result.