Pentagon launches first cyber attack against Daesh

The Pentagon will launch its first full-scale cyber offensive against the Daesh terror group, the Hill newspaper reported Tuesday.

The campaign includes efforts to imitate prominent Daesh commanders online and mislead militants, as well as to interrupt and redirect electronic transfers of money used to fund the group’s extremist agenda, the newspaper revealed.

To conduct the offensive, the Pentagon has created a cadre of "national mission teams" that resemble special operations forces.

The military is hoping to spread concern among the gang's members that U.S. cyber attacks are manipulating their data and eavesdropping on communications with potential recruits, it added.

"We are dropping cyber bombs," Robert Work, deputy secretary of Defense,said. "We have never done that before." To this point, the U.S. has struggled to counteract Daesh online. The terrorist group successfully uses online messaging platforms and social media networks to spread propaganda, radicalize foreigners and conduct its own low-scale digital disruptions through cyber attacks, the Hill explained.

To combat these Daesh initiatives, the Obama administration has previously indicated it was developing an offensive cyber campaign, but officials largely refused to discuss details.

Source : Petra