This Rand study from 2002 is available as PDF downloads. Of particular interest are:
Chapter 1: "The Advent of Netwar"
Chapter 2: "The Networking of Terror in the Information Age"
Chapter 8: "Activism, Hacktivism, and Cyberterrorism: the Internet as a Tool for Influencing Foreign Policy"
Chapter 10: "What's Next for Networks and Netwars?"
"In an in-depth analysis of a recently re-released videotape of Osama bin Laden’s August 2003 speech, Northeast Intelligence Network analysts found apparent alpha-numeric codes embedded in several frames of over 55,800 frames of the video tape analyzed. The code is not visible through normal viewing of the footage, and the viewer must know where in the lengthy footage to look for the coding sequence. The above frame illustrates a coding string found on one of the frames hidden in the footage. The video is significant itself as previously released bin Laden footage preceded the Madrid bombing attacks on 11 March 2004. Analysts have forwarded the footage, along with each isolated frame containing the coding, to law enforcement officials."
[Northeast Intelligence Network]
"Steganography is the art and science of hiding messages. Steganography is often combined with cryptography so that even if the message is discovered it cannot be read. The word steganography is derived from the Greek words "steganos" and "graphein", which mean "covered" and "writing." Steganography, therefore, is covered writing. Historical stenganography involved techniques such as disappearing ink or microdots. Modern steganography involves hiding data in computer files. It is fairly easy to hide a secret message in a graphic file without obviously altering the visible appearance of that file."
[Linux Security]
[Niels Provos and Peter Honeyman: "Detecting Steganographic Content on the Internet"—PDF]
As the South Korean government seeks to halt the spread of Kim Sun-Il's beheading video by blocking major blog portals, this backgrounder offers valuable perspective the history of South Korea's distribution of images and video from Iraq:
"The government and media of South Korea have reacted swiftly to a newly perceived "threat" to the country. No, not new revelations concerning North Korea's nuclear weapons program, but the video of Kim Sun-il's beheading. Since its release, the government has arrested at least 12 people for "illegally" downloading the gruesome video. [...] The video of Americans Nick Berg and Paul Johnson being executed are not only widely available in South Korea, but the Berg video, in its gory entirety, was shown on the Seoul-based MBC network during its prime time news cast. [...] As far as support for the troop dispatch is concerned, the death of Kim Sun-il has so far had almost zero effect on public sentiment."
[Asia Times]
"When militants used to want to make a point, they would send faxes or videotapes to international news agencies. But now, al Qaida is putting its graphic messages and images straight up on the web—with maximum effect. Technology has become their latest weapon in their Holy War [...] According to Paul Eedle, media expert, “Al Qaida is as much media machine as military organization. These messages are what they want the world to see.” [...] militants are cleverly staying one step ahead of the law, even able to hijack websites, like one belonging to a Silicon Valley survey and mapping company to briefly upload its images of the captured Johnson. [...] But some analysts say al Qaida’s use of digital technology to spread their bloody message can backfire. Intelligence sources think that al Qaida’s former top operative in Saudi Arabia—Abdel Azziz al-Muqrin was found and killed last week, because of leads picked up by police experts on websites al-Muqrin used to show Johnson’s execution."
[MSNBC]
"Terrorism has often been conceptualized as a form of psychological warfare, and certainly terrorists have sought to wage such a campaign through the Internet. There are several ways for terrorists to do so. For instance, they can use the Internet to spread disinformation, to deliver threats intended to distill fear and helplessness, and to disseminate horrific images of recent actions, such as the brutal murder of the American journalist Daniel Pearl by his captors, a videotape of which was replayed on several terrorist websites. Terrorists can also launch psychological attacks through cyberterrorism, or, more accurately, through creating the fear of cyberterrorism. "Cyberfear" is generated when concern about what a computer attack could do (for example, bringing down airliners by disabling air traffic control systems, or disrupting national economies by wrecking the computerized systems that regulate stock markets) is amplified until the public believes that an attack will happen. The Internet—an uncensored medium that carries stories, pictures, threats, or messages regardless of their validity or potential impact—is peculiarly well suited to allowing even a small group to amplify its message and exaggerate its importance and the threat it poses. Al Qaeda combines multimedia propaganda and advanced communication technologies to create a very sophisticated form of psychological warfare. Osama bin Laden and his followers concentrate their propaganda efforts on the Internet, where visitors to al Qaeda's numerous websites and to the sites of sympathetic, aboveground organizations can access prerecorded videotapes and audiotapes, CD-ROMs, DVDs, photographs, and announcements. [...] The Internet has significantly expanded the opportunities for terrorists to secure publicity. Until the advent of the Internet, terrorists' hopes of winning publicity for their causes and activities depended on attracting the attention of television, radio, or the print media. These traditional media have "selection thresholds" (multistage processes of editorial selection) that terrorists often cannot reach. No such thresholds, of course, exist on the terrorists' own websites. The fact that many terrorists now have direct control over the content of their message offers further opportunities to shape how they are perceived by different target audiences and to manipulate their own image and the image of their enemies."
[Gabriel Weinman: "www.terror.net: How modern Terrorism Uses the Internet"]
[See also: "Examining the Cyber Capabilities of Islamic Terrorist Groups" from the Technical Analysis Group at the Institute for Security Technology Studies at Dartmouth College]
Jin Hyun-joo: "Korea: Kim's Execution Video Banned": June 24, 2004
"The government and Internet portal sites said yesterday they would take stern measures against the possible spread on the Internet of the video showing the beheading of the Korean hostage. [...] Yahoo Korea: "Considering Korean people's condolences toward the deceased, we are going to delete any pictures or video footage that show the killing of the Korean hostage...As the beheading of the hostage was not aired, it is less likely that the footage would proliferate on the Internet as it did in the Nicholas Berg case." [...] With its emergency monitoring system running for 24 hours, the Ministry of Information and Communication said it would advise Web sites to get rid of the clips as soon as they discovered them. "The Web sites that fail to follow through the instructions will be subject to shut-down or police investigation," an official at the ministry said."
[Asia Media]
"The government and Internet portal sites said yesterday they would take stern measures against the possible spread on the Internet of the video showing the beheading of the Korean hostage. [...] Yahoo Korea: "Considering Korean people's condolences toward the deceased, we are going to delete any pictures or video footage that show the killing of the Korean hostage...As the beheading of the hostage was not aired, it is less likely that the footage would proliferate on the Internet as it did in the Nicholas Berg case." [...] With its emergency monitoring system running for 24 hours, the Ministry of Information and Communication said it would advise Web sites to get rid of the clips as soon as they discovered them. "The Web sites that fail to follow through the instructions will be subject to shut-down or police investigation," an official at the ministry said."
[Asia Media]
"Police assume either the Iraqi armed group distributed the tapes to the site or the site purchased them from other Muslim sites, considering the site put out an ad seeking videotapes of Kim Sun-il’s beheading since June 22. The videotapes contain a scene showing a masked man beheading Kim after declaring “Allah is great.” Netizens who saw the tapes showed strong emotional responses, saying, “It was too cruel and I couldn’t help myself from bursting out into tears. [...] Many netizens are holding a campaign not to watch the videotape at all. Opinions such as: “Please, let’s not watch the videotape even though it may be just us Koreans who don’t watch it. It is the same as allowing Kim Sun-il to be killed twice. Imagine how painful it would be if his family and friends watch it. Let’s not watch it and delete it even when it is in your hand,” have been posted on most Korean internet portal sites. Kim Ho-ki, Professor of Sociology at Yonsei University, pleaded with the government, citizens’ groups, and netizens to control unnecessary expressions of emotion and impulsive behavior, saying, “I am concerned that the videotape may provoke sentiment against Iraq and intensify the dispute on the army dispatch.”"
[Donga]
[Ogrish.com]
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