Defeating Islamic State militants required disabling their significant cyber capabilities — and pop star Rick Astley unwittingly played a hand in doing so.
The Australian Signals Directorate was tasked with providing safe passage to troops as they advanced up the Tigris River ValleyIslamic State's own internet capabilities created a cyber-weaponry arms race
"We quickly came to the conclusion that ISIS's use of [a global network] was a significant advantage to them. It was a significant component of their strategy. We felt strongly we had to take that away from them, we have to negate it." The agency's offensive cyber operators studied the IS militants' electronic equipment and found that Islamic State was using a variety of encrypted apps, including Surespot, Wickr, WhatsApp and Telegram.
From a graffiti-walled basement several metres below ASD's Canberra headquarters, on the other side of the world, operators would deploy "Rickrolling" and other cyber weapons to coincide with bombs and bullets on the ground in Iraq. "So even though it was a simple cyber effect, using it tightly coordinated with partner forces created a disproportionate effect in some cases."
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