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Subject: Terrorist EW- no instances?
TrustButVerify    10/2/2005 8:58:34 PM
I happened to hear an airfield communications technician idly ask why we haven't heard of any terrorist attempts at electronic warfare. My answer off the cuff was that it's too difficult- too complicated to do properly, and not enough spectacle. (Can you imagine how difficult it would be to shut down an airport's radio communications without being caught? I can.) I went on to suggest that an EMP bomb would provide spectacle, but is beyond the capabilities of terrorist organizations for engineering and fabrication reasons. What you say?
 
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Mike From Brielle    RE:Terrorist EW- no instances?   12/13/2005 10:38:56 AM
We could tell you but then we'd have to kill you, sorry:)
 
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Carl S    RE:Terrorist EW- no instances?   12/15/2005 4:45:28 AM
If you include intel. gathering as EW then I suspose that has arrived. I'm also certain a fair portion of the computer hacking going on is sponsored by 'terrorist' groups.
 
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TrustButVerify    RE:Terrorist EW- no instances?   1/10/2006 9:01:13 PM
My mistake- I suppose I should be more specific. Yes, radio intercept can broadly be defined as EW, but offensive actions such as active jamming of navaids or comms (to say nothing of radar!) are what I had in mind.
 
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Galrahn    RE:Terrorist EW- define EW   1/11/2006 1:04:29 PM
Terrorist EW has more to do with hijacking, less to do with jamming. Example, several black hat organizations that do targeted attacks in the west, ranging from credit card theft online to identity theft online, came straight out of the Philippines, as apart of the Islamic problems that have been there for decades. Over 85% of all phishing attempts worldwide is now done by Organized Crime, with half of that being groups associated with terrorism. During the 90s many of these people went to the University of Manila, and some early worms in the 90s originated from consoles in that University. Another example of Terrorism EW is the hijacking of maritime satellite feeds, that allow Terrorists to track certain cargo for pirate activities, or allow them to sell information regarding potential ship targets on the seas. This is a major problem both off the coast of Africa and Indonesia. More than a few pirate vessels that have been seized had sophisticated laptop based satellite communications equipment onboard, meaning they had tracked the target vessels for days and knew more than a little about the target. As far as I know, sophisticated jamming equipment has never been used for terrorist activities, however communication hijacking has been common. After the initial Patriot Act bill was signed into law, Usenet operators in the US had a major headache getting documentation off their Usenet?s. Manuals regarding the configuration of cellular devices, ranging from phones to handhelds, as well as documentation on other major equipment that was available online through Usenet?s were deleted. In many cases, Usenet?s in the US shutdown and came back up in other countries to avoid the Patriot Act. Hijacking cell phones and handhelds, among other things, was a common problem until about 2002 when security became a focus within IT departments and technology companies. Ironically enough, it takes events like Paris Hilton losing her handheld and having her address book with tons of Hollywood celebrity phone numbers and addresses posted online to make a bigger impact on device security than things like the 9-11, but sometimes, that is how technological innovation works, the public relations disaster from losing Paris Hiltons address book due to no security has a greater media impact than the theft of some big business Palm Pilot with trade secrets.
 
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Carl S    RE:Terrorist EW- define EW   1/12/2006 9:13:14 PM
Rather than a bomb gnerated EMP there must be some possibility of a focused or directed EMP. A high energy tranmistter that pulses through a directional antenna? Specific frequency bands the the target system is vulnerable to would the concentrated on.
 
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TrustButVerify    RE:Terrorist EW- definitions   1/12/2006 9:39:57 PM
The broad definition of EW certainly covers the things you noted, Galrahn. They can mostly be classified as passive, though, and I suggest the Internet items fall under the broader "information warfare" heading. For the purpose of this thread, I am referring specifically to active attempts at disrupting communications, particularly those of an essential nature.
 
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TrustButVerify    RE:Terrorist EW- Carl S   1/12/2006 9:53:31 PM
It's certainly possible. Remember that EMP does its damage by destroying semiconductors with a current spike. (Version for Colonels.) You can achieve the same effect with a tightly focused beam of RF, and if I'm not mistaken the F-22A is supposed to have just such a capability. It was covered here on SP a few months ago.
 
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Carl S    RE:Terrorist EW- Carl S   1/14/2006 12:05:38 AM
Can you direct me to this F22A discussion thread?
 
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TrustButVerify    RE:Terrorist EW- Carl S   1/15/2006 3:40:46 PM
'Twas no thread- it was an article. Towards the end the offensive EW is mentioned. link
 
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Carl S    RE:Terrorist EW- Carl S   1/15/2006 3:57:04 PM
Thanks I'll give it a look.
 
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