Special Operations Command Takes Aim At Enemies Hiding Files Inside Seized Electronics
By Patrick Tucker
May 30, 2018
Terror groups are using new techniques to reduce the intel value of seized laptops and cellphones.
Terror groups are using new and better techniques to hide files and data in computers and phones, undermining the devices’ value as intelligence bonanzas.
Special operators rely on data ripped from acquired phones and laptops. ISIS, for example, rode its mastery of information technology to power and prominence, but found that digital records could also be an Achilles heel. Coalition forces soon exploited seized electronics to find and hit ISIS targets, and shared the information with global law enforcement agencies tracking the group’s plots in other countries. So ISIS turned to steganography — hiding secret information inside ordinary-looking digital records — but that trick no longer works against coalition investigators, said Nicholas D. Anderson, who works as an engineer and technical support aide for U.S. Special Operations Command.
https://www.defenseone.com/technology/2018/05/special-operations-command-takes-aim-enemies-hiding-files-inside-seized-electronics/148585/
