A new instruction manual for ISIS supporters on how to best secure their smartphones and go undetected by authorities has been published in a 24-page cybersecurity magazine offering a step-by-step guide to ‘wanna-be’ jihadis.
This first issue of “The Supporter’s Security,” offered in both English and Arabic languages, was created by the Electronic Horizons Foundation, an online platform created in 2016 as an online aid to terrorists.
All necessary instructions on how to go undetected are available in this magazine—from setting up an Android and installing security updates, to creating fake credentials for social media and encrypting storage devices.
In recent months, as internet use has skyrocketed due to the coronavirus pandemic, jihadis have recognized a ripe opportunity to recruit online.
The recent publication states that “the Mujahideen started to use smartphones to communicate, publish, plan and work without knowing the real security risks they face.”
This led to “the arrest of many brothers due to the security negligence” associated with using smartphones.
It urges members to “understand the security threats” they face and to “choose the appropriate tools and methods to conduct…business,” writes Bridget Johnson, Managing Editor for Homeland Security Today.
It strongly encourages jihadis to use computers when dealing with terror-related matters to help better cover their online tracks, where smart phones can leave them more vulnerable, the reports suggest.
Operating systems such as Qubes, Tails, or Whonix are preferable to Windows, “which is a security nightmare.”
It warns against bad practices, including neglecting to encrypt material, using the internet without a VPN, and opening unknown links.
In the past, the EHF has released tutorials on how to secure mobile devices and operate the dark-web.
The EHF first used the message-encrypting platform Telegram to securely disseminate information. This platform emphasizes privacy where messages can be sent to an unlimited amount of members.
Within a few weeks after the launch, the account had allegedly recruited over 2,000 followers.
According to the magazine, readers are “inside a fierce war” because technological development is “led by polytheists”—non-believers and heretics. These “polytheists” reportedly “humiliate Muslims, so that they become under their control and mercy.”
