Anonymous Just Exposed the Rothschild Connection to a Human Traffi*cking Ring l

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This anonymous message is intended to expose the possibility that some of the wealthiest families in the world are involved with or complicit with se*x crimes and/or human traffi*cking.

In the midst of the scandal with “self help” group NXIVM, the wealthy heir to a fortune Clare Bronfman has taken control of the organization. She has poured millions of dollars into the se*x cult.

People should find it suspicious that her family seems to have shared assets with the Rothschild family, provided that the two families are still involved with their multi-billion dollar joint venture Bronfman E.L. Rothschild.

“Be suspicious of people who have, or crave, power. Never, ever go near power. Don’t become friends with anyone who has real power. It’s dangerous.” – Stanley Kubrick, director of “Eyes Wide Shut.”

Watch the video below:

Transcript:

Greetings citizens of the world.

We come to you with a warning about certain people who exist in this world. The lesson portrayed in this video can be summarized by the quote from Eyes Wide Shut director Stanley Kubrick. He said “Be suspicious of people who have, or crave, power. Never, ever go near power. Don’t become friends with anyone who has real power. It’s dangerous.”

In the world of money and power, people are dealing with possibilities that are so tremendous, schemes and horrific scenarios that are beyond the imaginations of anybody without money can arise.

Millions and billions of dollars corrupt people past a point that exceeds what most people are even willing to understand. It is this principle of power and money that at least partially explains why members of the powerful Bronfman family are now leading a se*x cult known as NXIVM.

Sara and Clare Bronfman were reported by mainstream media as members of this se*x cult as far back as nearly 8 years ago in 2010. Now, Clare Bronfman, an heir to a fortune held by a family that is in with the Rothschilds which is a solid and provable fact, is in charge of the group.

Keith Raniere is the founder of NXIVM, which claims to be a “multi-level marketing” company offering personal and professional development seminars and self help. Alongside Allison Mack, the ex-Smallville actor he was arrested last week for se*x traffi*cking and forced labor conspiracy.

Allison was just released on bail, and headlines are being made about her attempts to get actress Emma Watson into the cult.

People may want to consider that Emma Watson may already belong a cult that pervades Hollywood, and its symbol is made readily apparent to any person daring enough to really see what Hollywood is composed of.

That company is actually a se*x slave operation that was coercing women into having se*x with Keith and who knows what else. His initials were reportedly burned into women and they were coerced into se*xual servitude under threats of their reputations being ruined or worse.

The thing is, it has to be so much worse than we are allowed to know. Money like this doesn’t restrict itself to the boundaries of regular BDSM: money like this tends to make psychopathic individuals who would do worse things, and enter much darker places. A world of true se*xual slavery must exist that we know little about.

As Stanley Kubrick knew enough about power to say it is dangerous, his movie Eyes Wide Shut depicts a sadistic se*x party filled with extremely wealthy individuals in a New York mansion.

Scenes of the movie have been cut, and he mysteriously died a few days after presenting his final film to Warner Brothers. In the film, distinct masks were worn on the faces of people at the party, which can be recognized as statues in the UK, that are nearby Rothschild properties.

The Rothschilds are known to have strange parties, and they are connected to another elite family whose young, female heirs are leading this se*x cult: the Bronfmans.

The connection between the two families is apparent in the company Bronfman E.L. Rothschild, featuring what is called some of the two most respected family names in world finance.

This company is a $20 billion merger between the historical Rothschild family’s asset and an asset of the Bronfman family, the Canadian Jewish family that built its fortune upon the largest alcoholic beverage firm in the world at the time, Joseph E. Seagram & Sons.

So some Bronfman family people work with the Rothschilds people to generate money through this joint firm that manages over $3.6 billion in assets. Meanwhile, these young female heirs run a se*x slave operation that probably is much worse than anybody knows.

Would it really be a stretch to theorize that perhaps these two families both contain individuals involved in human traffi*cking or se*x slavery?

People know about what is referred to as MK Ultra programming: it is the concept of trauma being inflicted upon a person that is so great, a completely different personality is programmed into the individual, for the purpose of creating a useful separate personality for such horrible things as se*x slavery or being a pop star.

The reality of cults like this most likely extends into more horrific things like pedophilia, the programming of human beings, and other scenarios that could be considered a fate worse than death.

It is the reality of this type of thing that proves regular citizens without such wealth and resources need to be armed and cautious of any person who might want to get close to their families. In Britain where everybody is disarmed and now they even want to ban knives, about 140,000 young children go missing every year. Who knows where the children who were never found ended up?

Pedophilia and human traffi*cking are real, and people need to remain armed and never defenseless because there is such a thing as a fate worse than death. Kidnapping is a fate that nobody ever wants to succumb to, and with the way money and power inherently function, there are people who create a market for horrific human suffering.

That market will come to fruition as long as there are defenseless victims out there: people need to be good at self defense.

(Image credit: cactus24, coffscoastadvocate, illuminatisymbols, zestythings, messynessychic, voiceofpeopletoday)

    

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ANONYMOUS – OPERATION FREE NET – 2018

6 COMMENTS

patrick gabbardJuly 4, 2018 at 2:47 am

I wish I was smart enough to be part of you guys

Reply

AnonymousGlitchExeJuly 22, 2018 at 7:24 pm

Anons come in all shapes , sizes & ages.. You don’t have to be an expert at computers to be anonymous. Everyone in the world has an expertise in something. We all know something. Use the skills you have in those areas where your best at. If you know something of a huge concern share it. with the world and you will be “Anonymous”.. Anonymous is about sharing information for the better of the people. To expose the wrong doings of people. Anonymous is about truth and nothing but. No matter how little you know or how much. its a peace of a huge puzzle to the truth.. We all have a right to know whats going on around us..

Reply

tom terrificJuly 4, 2018 at 10:56 pm

Very vague info. Is this a probability or a reality? What can you do with this information to stop human trafficking and pedophilia? Can the police be trusted?

Reply

VinnyJuly 6, 2018 at 2:49 am

So why have you not gone after Trump’s connection to pedophile sex slaves his campaign manager..??..

Reply

Kristie IngramJuly 20, 2018 at 10:49 pm

Trump is arresting pedophiles not protecting them , get your facts straight

Reply

AnonymousGlitchExeJuly 22, 2018 at 7:42 pm

Anons come in all shapes , sizes & ages.. You don’t have to be an expert at computers to be anonymous. Everyone in the world has an expertise in something. We all know something. Use the skills you have in those areas where your best at. If you know something of a huge concern share it. with the world and you will be “Anonymous”.. Anonymous is about sharing information for the better of the people. To expose the wrong doings of people. Anonymous is about truth and nothing but. No matter how little you know or how much. its a peace of a huge puzzle to the truth.. We all have a right to know whats going on around us..

Reply

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Cryptocurrency Impact: Banks Now Threatening To Close Accounts If You Use Coinbase

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December 22, 2017

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(True Activist) Because cryptocurrencies are a threat to the banking elite, they are now threatening to close accounts if customers link them to Coinbase.

Cryptocurrency user Jordan Spencer recently received a letter from his bank warning him that his account would be closed if he continued to buy and sell cryptocurrency through the popular website and app Coinbase. The bank, Lakestone Bank and Trust also ominously threatened to keep an eye on his account to make sure that he obeyed.

Spencer posted the letter in a Facebook group for Ethereum traders to warn others about possible penalties or sanctions from banks.

“We are happy to have you as a Lakestone Bank and Trust customer and would like to fulfill your banking needs, but it has come to my attention that you are making purchases and receiving funds from Coinbase.com – A type of business transaction that is against Lakestone’s policies and will need to be discontinued immediately. We will continue to monitor your account and if we see that these types of transactions continue we will be forced to take other action, up to and including closing the account.”

The post quickly went viral and created an uproar among cryptocurrency enthusiasts, who quickly spammed the bank’s Facebook page with negative reviews and comments.

Cryptocurrency is obviously a threat to the traditional financial system, with a market cap of over $600 billion and rising every day, which far exceeds that of most major banks.

It was reported this week that daily cryptocurrency markets are now doing the same volume as the New York Stock Exchange.

Last week, the SEC issued a statement warning investors about cryptocurrencies not being regulated by governments. The statement is interesting considering that the SEC has allowed, if not assisted, in the many financial scams that have left so many people destitute.

“SPEAKING BROADLY, CRYPTOCURRENCIES PURPORT TO BE ITEMS OF INHERENT VALUE (SIMILAR, FOR INSTANCE, TO CASH OR GOLD) THAT ARE DESIGNED TO ENABLE PURCHASES, SALES, AND OTHER FINANCIAL TRANSACTIONS. THEY ARE INTENDED TO PROVIDE MANY OF THE SAME FUNCTIONS AS LONG-ESTABLISHED CURRENCIES SUCH AS THE U.S. DOLLAR, EURO OR JAPANESE YEN BUT DO NOT HAVE THE BACKING OF A GOVERNMENT OR OTHER BODY. OTHER OFTEN-TOUTED FEATURES OF CRYPTOCURRENCIES INCLUDE PERSONAL ANONYMITY AND THE ABSENCE OF GOVERNMENT REGULATION OR OVERSIGHT. CRITICS OF CRYPTOCURRENCIES NOTE THAT THESE FEATURES MAY FACILITATE ILLICIT TRADING AND FINANCIAL TRANSACTIONS AND THAT SOME OF THE PURPORTED BENEFICIAL FEATURES MAY NOT PROVE TO BE AVAILABLE IN PRACTICE,” THE STATEMENT SAID.

Many cryptocurrency traders are fearing that more restrictions and regulations from governments are likely on their way.

If these sort of crackdowns from banks aren’t resisted by customers, we can expect them to increase. The centralization of power and control of currency is what gives the banking elite their power—cryptocurrency is a threat to that power as its very nature is based on decentralization.

As we reported earlier this week, the idea of cryptocurrency has actually been popular among crypto-anarchists and privacy experts for decades, and was predicted in Timothy May’s 1994 manifesto “The Cyphernomicon.” In the book, May prophesized about “sophisticated financial alternatives to the dollar, various instruments, futures, forward contracts, etc.”

Cryptocurrency is providing this financial alternative. Banks can either respect the wants and needs of their customers through facilitating a mutually beneficial relationship with those who wish to deal in both US dollars and crypto—or, they can die a slow economic death as cryptocurrency makes them obsolete.

Lakestone Bank and Trust appears to have made their decision.

GET YOUR BITCOIN NOW: https://www.coinbase.com

Bitcoin Laundering Research Study

Bitcoin critics are often fond of claiming Bitcoin as “criminal money.” How true is this? One study tries to give concrete data to such accusation.

For many Bitcoin non-believers, one of the most prominent anti-Bitcoin arguments is that it’s a currency used by criminals.

Such reasoning has been debunked by the Bitcoin community several times, but it would be interesting to see what the actual data stays.

The Foundation for Defense of Democracies’ Center on Sanctions and Illicit Finance, together with blockchain analytics firm Elliptic, recently conducted an extensive study to attempt to uncover how much of the circulating Bitcoin funds are used for illicit activities.

To make the data more manageable, the study narrowed the sample from 2013 to 2016. According to Elliptic, they used a forensic analysis tool to sort through the data.

The method generally makes use of known data sets that are linked to illicit activities, running the parameters through more than 214 conversion services like mixers, gambling sites and currency exchanges.

In all, the results were surprising to say the least. According to the study, only less than 1 percent of Bitcoin circulation is linked to illicit activities.

The study also published other compelling results. The researchers found that cryptocurrency exchanges received the highest amount of known illicit Bitcoins.

What’s more interesting is that 50 percent of the illicit Bitcoins went through two Europe-based cryptocurrencies. However, this is not really surprising as exchanges are responsible for carrying out large amounts of cryptocurrency conversions.

When it comes to Bitcoin laundering, the study shows that mixers and gambling sites are the go-to source for “washing” services. The data also shows that 97 percent of the volume going through mixing and gambling sites can be traced back to only three services.

And from that, half of the volume is linked to illicit activities.

Another interesting result, though not really surprising, is that 97 percent of the illicit Bitcoin circulates in darknet markets like the now-defunct Silk Road and AlphaBay. The only year that the 97 percent dipped to 80 percent was in 2016.

According to the 2016 data, the rise of ransomware was the cause of the shift. It’s typical for ransomware to ask for payment in Bitcoin. When the ransom is paid, the Bitcoin is then considered as illicit.

Since ransomware is not a darknet market, the circulating illicit Bitcoin picture also skewed.

What is surprising is that the data suggests that the flow of illicit Bitcoins going through darknet marketplaces is largely centralized.

For each year, over 50 percent of the illicit Bitcoins are linked to less than two darknet marketplaces.

In 2013, around 90 percent of the illicit Bitcoin were linked to Silk Road. In 2014, Agora and Silk Road accounted for 80 percent of the circulating illicit Bitcoins.

In 2015, almost half of the illicit Bitcoin was in Agora. In 2016, Nucleus Market and AlphaBay held 75 percent of the circulating illicit Bitcoins.

One of the main reasons why the Bitcoin laundering study was instigated is for better policy-making. The Foundation for Defense of Democracies gave a recommendation that law enforcement agencies should focus more on darknet markets, online gambling sites and Bitcoin mixers as these are the locations in which a huge portion of illicit Bitcoin circulate or are “washed.”

When it comes to online gambling and Bitcoin mixers, the Foundation recommends stronger anti-money laundering enforcement. On the other hand, darknet markets need a different approach as these sites don’t comply with such regulations.

Further, if one darknet site is shut down, another opens.

The Foundation for Defense of Democracies also recommended that law enforcement officials should shift their focus to exposing the security vulnerabilities of such darknet websites to deter people from using the sites.

For the Bitcoin community, the narrative that Bitcoin is used for criminal activities is weak to begin with. Bitcoin supporters are also quick to point out that banning Bitcoin on the grounds of criminal activity is not logical; after all, the U.S. Dollar is also used to fund criminal activities, and you’ll never hear talks about banning the dollar.

There are a lot of key points attached to this specific matter. For example, a lot of cryptocurrency supporters believe that governments have no right to regulate nor monitor a person’s financial activity.

Another key point is that Bitcoin itself is simply not designed to be a great way to conduct money laundering. This is because every Bitcoin transaction is in the public blockchain ledger. The receiver, the sender and the amount is available for anyone to see.

If you do enough investigation, it’s possible to trace the money trail that will lead to arrest. In fact, many Silk Road users have been arrested this way.

Lastly, the Bitcoin community is also quick to point out that darknet websites are also using Monero, an alternative cryptocurrency that puts a high priority on security and anonymity.

With the recent Bitcoin laundering report, the cryptocurrency community can finally solidly claim that Bitcoin is not “drug money” as there’s already a study that shows that illicit Bitcoin activity accounts for less than 1 percent of Bitcoin activity.

Bitcoin

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Apple to Close Security Loophole Authorities Use to Hack into iPhones
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Apple now seeks to update its software by disabling ports after an hour of inactivity so that third parties can’t unlock iPhones without a passcode.

Over the years, Apple has gained a reputation in the tech industry as a company that offers quality and secured smartphones among other products.

In their bid to serve customers and emerge as one of the top tech leaders, the company has faced several legal tussles in the course of their journey.

In a move that is likely to make them lock horns with law enforcement personnel from time to time, the company seeks to seal several loopholes that are currently in use by third parties to unlock the devices of targeted individuals.

Apple devices have become a preference for those involved in illegal activities because of their security, memory storage and, last but not least, durability.

Several developers have even come up with versions of anonymous messaging apps that are compatible with iOS.

How Third Parties Unlock Apple Smartphones

In most cases, it is the authorities who have interest in unlocking Apple products because they tend to have interest in obtaining the information inside the devices.

What drives law enforcement bodies to have the devices unlocked is if they are undertaking a high-level investigation and they need some evidence which can be found in the smartphones.

Since they often do not have the much-needed tech expertise within their internal resources, what they do is outsource it form a third party, which happens to be security firms.

In the past, authorities such as the Federal Bureau of Investigation have approached Apple in a bid to have them unlock criminal suspects’ devices.

In 2016, the company famously refused the FBI’s order to unlock the device that belonged to one of the shooters in the San Bernardino terrorist attack.

Apple CEO Tim Cook proceeded to write a public letter saying that the company has respect for the law enforcement agencies such as the FBI, but they refuse to compromise the device by creating a backdoor for investigators’ use.

The primary reason is that they are engaging in an activity that is compromising the privacy of Apple customers.

The failure by Apple to cooperate made the FBI and other federal agencies to seek the services of firms such as Grayshift, founded by a former employee of Apple, as well as Cellebrite, an Israel-based firm.

The modus operandi is different when dealing with the above two companies. For the case with Cellebrite, the officers would send the phone to the company for unlocking, and it would cost several thousand dollars more than the price of the device.

But for Grayshift, it is a bit different since the security agencies would instead acquire a device known as GrayKey at the cost of $15,000, which they would use to decrypt the smartphones by themselves.

Before the police began using firms like Cellebrite and Grayshift, they would unlock the gadgets by themselves by trying to insert a multiple pins until the iPhone is unlocked. Because of this, Apple had to carry out software updates to keep their customers safe.

Over the years, Apple has gained a reputation in the tech industry as a company that offers quality and secured smartphones among other products.

Among the agencies using the GrayKey device is the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), a key player in the fight against opioid distribution which has been brought about by the darknet markets.

In a darknet-centric operation dubbedOperation Disarray, which was spearheaded by the FBI, the DEA was among the agencies that helped out in making it a success.

Now that the DEA is interested in devices that can unlock iPhones, one can connect the dots and conclude that perhaps there is a chunk of darknet users who are fond of using Apple devices.

It is not the first time that authorities have clashed with a company for designing products which are beyond their abilities to decrypt.

A few months ago, Canada-based Phantom Secure was also on the spotbecause of willingly developing products meant for darknet crime.

Measures Taken by Apple to Further Protect Customers

Following the move by the federal agencies and local enforcement personnel from different regions to seek the services of security firms to unlock iPhones, Apple has now begun work on how to ensure the existing technology can not bypass their devices.

The move has caused divergent opinions among persons from different backgrounds, with some supporting it and others against the idea.

What Apple intends to do is roll out a mass software update which would disable the ports used for charging and connecting a USB cable for transfers and plugging an earpiece after one hour.

In the past, the ports would still be active, giving third parties a way of compromising the devices no matter how long the phone remains unlocked.

The update will require only a password to be entered for the ports to be active, but it ultimately does not stop the user from being able to charge it.

Every Problem Has a Solution

The move by Apple to further sharpen their security will likely see more developers stepping up to implement their own solutions.

The burden of work will lie onto the hands of the authorities, and in a bid to try and get a solution, they will likely continue to seek the services of security companies.

In most cases, what transpires is that the same firms that have been offering solutions to such matters are consulted by the same clients who need alternatives to new problems.

For now, those using the devices might feel solace knowing that it will take some time for security firms to come up with a way to unlock the iPhone once Apple updates the software.

Bitcoin Resomwares

Analysis: The Use of Anonymous Messaging Apps on the Dark Web

Anonymous messaging apps are being used to facilitate offline trade among darknet users, potentially exposing themselves to the possibility of fraud.

The use of messaging applications to send instant messages has made communication not only convenient but also effective.

And as such, more industries—depending on the nature of activities conducted—will adopt a communication app that best suits them.

Currently, there are countless communication apps in existence and their use is dependent on the nature of activity conducted by the user.

The case is no different for darknet users who use certain types of apps to communicate with each other.

To determine which messaging platform is best, features such as security, cost and availability are put into consideration by an individual, organization and other large entities.

For darknet markets, different types of anonymous applications having unique features have been created over the years to offer maximum encryption and absolute anonymity for those who are using it.

However, for people to communicate they all need to use a tool from the same developer because different apps are not compatible with one another.

The Use of Anonymous Messaging Apps on the Dark Web

There are slightly less than a dozen well-known applications used by dark web users in their daily activities.

The case is evident because some of the darknet markets and forums have the option of users inserting their username or contact information depending on the messaging platform they use. In most cases, it is optional, but in others, one must provide their alias.

The fact that some communication apps are not very well known does not mean they do not provide excellent services.

But contrary, they may offer one of the best services, but what makes them not a preference for the majority of dark web users is the high cost. Often, a high percentage of users cannot all afford them all.

In a majority of cases, those who engage in selling are fond of leaving their alias on the vendor profiles for their customers to reach out to them in the event of any query on purchases.

Also, some of the markets and forums have a support section where their details on specific messaging platforms can be found so that in case of anything, the clients can get assistance in the shortest time possible.

How the Apps Are Shaping the Way Business Is Conducted

Since the early days of darknet markets, people would log in to a specific marketplace and buy goods with Bitcoin.

However, the integration of other digital tokens in marketplaces in the recent months has enabled individuals to have a wide variety of option when making payments.

After the first purchase, the buyer may proceed and acquire more goods and services from the same vendor, and in the process, an element of trust is established between the two parties.

So what happens is that a person who is interested in acquiring a particular good or service from a hidden site will log in to the website, select a product, choose a payment option and facilitate the payments.

A point to note is that there are many ways of getting scammed, and thus is the need to use the site’s escrow system where the buyer should place a No-Finalize Early (FE) as a precautionary measure of preventing fraud.

After the first purchase, the buyer may proceed and acquire more goods and services from the same vendor, and in the process, an element of trust is established between the two parties.

Since in most cases the vendor tends to leave their contact details on their profile, the buyer can proceed and contact them directly.

In the event the vendor has not left their communication details on their profile, it is common for the buyer to ask them for it and if they indeed use communication apps, then they provide them.

The end effect is that with time, buyers will start making offline communication with the sellers and in the process making offline payments.

When this transpires, the market loses to some extent because it generates commission after every purchase. From this, it is clear why many darknet markets discourage buyers from making offline payments.

Then we have the use of bots to respond to messages and dispatch orders depending on the type of good/service. Since the number of buyers continues to experience an upward trajectory with time, sellers are using bots to simplify things for themselves.

For those who have some skills in programming, they tend to create their own, but for those who do not, they can use the ones already created by others by purchasing depending on how they want it to function.

Of course, a bot with more features tends to go at a higher cost as compared to those with limited functionalities.

Risks Associated with Using Anonymous Messaging Applications

Despite the ease brought about by the apps, there are more risks associated with offline payments, and they are to the disadvantage of the buyer.

The primary risk is the possibility of fraud, which is a common occurrence on the dark web. This happens through the use of applications such as Jabber, Wickr, ICQ and others where vendors request for offline payments.

To make matters worse, they request for payments even before goods are sent or services delivered.

In the end, the sellers end up not delivering what they ordered.

So there is no way the person who made the payments is protected because first, they are dealing with illegal goods; second, there is no escrow; and finally, the buyer knows nothing else about the seller except for their username.

The sad part is that there are always those who will fall victim to scams no matter what transpires. It is like a norm in the business. Without cases of people scammed, then something is definitely wrong since the nature of activities conducted calls for the occurrence of such events.

Then we have companies such as Phantom Secure has been accused of manufacturing devices meant for criminals. In the end, the CEO ended up behind bars and facing legal suits alongside his associates for deliberately designing devices intended for the outlawed community.

What Phantom would do is take Blackberry devices and other smartphones, modify the hardware and software, and further encrypt it by adding excessive security features. By doing so, the messages sent would be beyond the interception of third parties, and in particular, law enforcement personnel.

In the process of manufacturing the devices and selling their services to the organized crime units, users were able to facilitate illegal deals and murders without any hindrance.

In the end, the arrest of the company executives and further operations by authorities to bring down the network led to the raid of other people in different part of Australia, the country with the highest number of Phantom users.

A Look at Some of the Most Popular Apps

The use of messaging applications to send instant messages has made communication not only convenient but also effective.

Apart from the above-mentioned apps (Wickr, ICQ, and Jabber), there are also other messengerssuch as Signal, Silent Phone, Telegram, and Silence.

All these apps have unique features which make them a preference to some darknet users.

Among them is security, which includes self-destructing messages, passwords when signing in and end-to-end encryption.

But out of all of these, there are some that stand out as compared to the rest.

Two good examples are Jabber and Telegram, which have gained popularity over the years because of their prime anonymity-centric characteristics.

For example, to have a Jabber account, one does not need to provide their actual details during the registration process and thus making it a perfect choice for users who want to remain anonymous.

Also, Jabber users can enable Off-the-Record messaging by installing and enabling additional plugins.

In addition, Telegram has gained popularity because of its anonymity and lack of executive control.

Even though one is required to verify their phone number in order to use it, the use of apps that provide fake phone numbers has enabled users to use Telegram without giving any real information.

The other thing that has made Telegram a choice for most is the use of botswhich can be created by anyone, depending on their programming skills.

Apart from that, there numerous bots up for sale, and the price differs depending on the functionality.

With all these points in mind, it is evident that as long as the apps have their advantages, they also have disadvantages and hence precaution is always the best when dealing with vendors who happen to request for offline payments.

Analysis: The Rise of Bitcoin and Cyber-Terrorists

Published on: 10 May 2018

Terrorists are always developing new ways of attacking their targets and raising funds for their global operations keeping every step hid

The dark web is a fragment of the internet hosting mammoth numbers of domains that disguise the IP addresses of their host servers. The identity of the users and the brains behind the sites are almost impossible to tell.

Cyber-terrorism, which is best defined as the propagation of terror and extremism on the internet by terror groups such as ISIS, is equally active on the dark web.

With the reasonably high degrees of anonymity that the dark web boasts of, it is not surprising to witness the infiltration of individuals with terrorist ideologies on the dark web. They raise money through virtual currencies.

Law enforcement agencies have also surreptitiously penetrated into the dark web in pursuit of perpetrators. There has been substantial evidence laying claim that ISIS and terrorist groups that share its ideologies are soliciting the anonymity in the dark web to amplify their agenda and undertakings globally.

The reports cannot be downplayed as downright hearsay or propaganda. Law enforcement agencies globally are faced with an uphill task to essentially track and hunt down the cyber-terrorists operating on the dark web.

Is Bitcoin a Tool for Funding Terrorist Groups?

The cryptocurrency Bitcoin has risen in stakes and its popularity has soared amongst terror groups, using digital wallets for their transactions, mostly in Bitcoins.

They mostly prefer Bitcoins because they evade taxes to the Western countries and/or other nations where their ideologies are generally not well accepted. They are also able to avoid legal exposure and prosecution.

Cryptocurrency transfers rely on a decentralized system. Despite the young age of cryptocurrencies, the advancements in technology are causing a disruption in the financial sector.

This upset has the capability to precede new markets, beget more financial transparency, as well as provide populations with limited exposure to banking services with more access to capital.

A 2017 advanced crackdown on ISIS was thought to be a breakthrough in the hope that its operations would be crippled. In a twist of events, towards the end of 2017, the group had revamped and the site spreading their agenda kick-started an online drive to raise funds.

A link was affixed to publications on the site, with calls for donations in the form of Bitcoin. Reports by Israeli newspaper Haaretz established that the link directed to a donations-devoted site. The site was located on a page in a forum that dealt with the dealings of Bitcoins by the name CoinGate. Later law enforcement-initiated probes into the link did not lead to the forum.

This was a clear statement of the terrorist group’s emphasis on avoiding being tracked. The online drives to raise funds in Bitcoins have increased foothold on groups sharing terrorist ideologies.

Bitcoin transactions are recorded openly in a digital accounting entry called blockchain.

In Telegram, which is popular among ISIS members, a new Bitcoin address affiliated a terrorist group brought to light a succession of transactions from July 2016 to January 2017 with some accounts averaging almost $300,000 in transfers on the blockchain.

Cyber-terrorists have been known to use social media platforms such YouTube and Facebook to recruit willing members.

Cash that has absolutely no trail is their most favored funds-transmitting medium.

The emergence of new activities online may seem to suggest that these terrorist groups are supplicating Bitcoins. These are in turn spent without the aid of any intermediary.

Since terrorist networks are not in a position to carry out transactions freely in the formal banking setup, they often come up with underhand methods to acquire resources. Some media outlets sharing the terrorist groups’ ideologies have been quoted urging supporters to contribute funds to explicit Bitcoin addresses.

There have also been incidences where they solicit a contribution for the purported maintenance of their sites by also targeting sympathizers in Western countries. Some of these fundraisers have attracted little attention in the recent past with some donations being as low as $100.

In the past, it has been reported that the terrorist groups have carried out their operations through the use of Bitcoins. Some of these operations include terror attacks—for example, the 2015 Charlie Hebdo attacks in Paris, which was reportedly funded through Bitcoinsfrom the terrorist group al Qaeda in the Arabia Gulf.

The November 2015 attack in Paris was also reported to have been funded from a colossal digital wallet with vast amounts of Bitcoins.

Others include online fundraisers receiving donations in Bitcoins meant to procure firearms, ammunition, and explosives.

Growing attention on the Bitcoin-sourced funding of terrorist groups’ media outlets is substantial. This pinpoints to them having possibly identified influential usage of cryptocurrencies in their targets and resolutions, the entrenchment of their propaganda and the organization of their activities.

Most of their dedicated web pages can only be accessed through the aid of the Tor browser. In addition, according to the Terrorism Research and Analysis Consortium (TRAC), the terrorist groups mostly use Telegram to propagate their propaganda and other media, such as videos, in a bid to experiment on new ways to further expand their financial support using Bitcoin.

Cyber-Terrorists Have Sought Refuge in the Dark Web

The current crisis globally is on how to fight increasing extremist activities brought about by terror groups such as ISIS. Capitalizing on the increasing growth of ISIS among other terror groups is now increasingly shifting the battle to online cyberwar.

This is by use of online messages and videos, the dark web and applications with the aim of radicalizing more people to becoming a new generation of cyber-terrorists.

The dark web, particularly in the modern days, has become a tool helping ISIS to spread their ideology and propaganda to online sympathizers across the globe.

Social Media Also Used as Recruitment Platform

According to Wulkan, the online fundraising drive on the ISIS website was tracked down.

Cyber-terrorists have been known to use social media platforms such YouTube and Facebook to recruit willing members.

One particular study published last yearanalyzed over 50 different Twitter user accounts and over 100 Facebook pages which generated over 2,050 results helped confirm the hypothesis.

It found that online hate is being used by extremist groups like ISIS for propaganda and recruitment initiatives.

This is being done through online videos being filmed and streamed professionally impressionable and young people. ISIS members are beginning to show the organization’s capability to form a global cyber-terrorism movement.

The dark web is also becoming the virtual playground for extremist views acting as an echochamber.

According to a Tel Aviv security analyst working for Singapore-based cybersecurity firm, there is concrete evidence that ISIS is making uses of highly anonymous networks on the dark web for radicalizing, recruiting and fundraising.

Concerns have also been tabled that the known ISIS and ISIL groups are making use of Bitcoin and other digital currencies that enable anonymous transactions and money laundering.

The Singapore-based cybersecurity firm uncovered evidence, where a terror cell thought to be connected to ISIS and operating in America, is requesting for Bitcoin in its fundraising effort.

Recently, as reported by James Scott of the Institute for Critical Infrastructure Technology, ISIS has been operating a 24-7 cyber helpdesk completely staffed with about six dark web operatives who are highly qualified from across the globe as consultants on how to send encrypted messages and strategize how to carry out cyber attacks.

Such evidence is being exposed to the public linking what claims to be ISIS cell fundraising using Bitcoins in the darknet, according to Ido Wulkan, a senior web-intelligence analyst at S2T, a Singapore company that develops data and cyber intelligence solutions for governments and corporations. The fundraising effort may indicate a worrying trend in the fight against terror, Wulkan said.

Due to the continued effort and cooperation between law enforcers and owners of social media platforms to delete ISIS-affiliated accounts, it is now almost obvious that ISIS global cyber-terrorists have sought refuge in the dark web, Wulkan added.

In June 2014, the government of Iraq blocked access to Twitter and Facebook. This was partly in reaction to the growing threat of the ISIS.

As seen in metrics on Tor data, the move led to an explosion in Tor usage in the country.

According to Wulkan, the online fundraising drive on the ISIS website was tracked down. This was done through a sealed referral forum in Turkey which has hackers as the users and has been associated with other extremist sites that are well known.

As part of the project, Wulkan used S2T’s GoldenSpear, a data recovery system, to obtain and analyze data.

A pro-ISIS gathering, according to a report from the Meir Amit Intelligence and Terrorism Information Center, started a campaign last year with the agenda of soliciting for funds on the dark web with the caution not to leave any traceable trail.

This was after an article titled “Bitcoin and the Charity of Violent Physical Struggle” circulated onlinearguing that in order for ISIS to fund its terror operations, it needed to go outside the Western financial. The article was posted to a page on the dark web that provided a Bitcoin address through which funds could apparently be sent directly to the ISIS.

The crackdown on the ISIS-affiliated Bitcoin users has been fruitful in the recent past. Last December, 27-year-old Long Island resident named Zoobia Shahnaz was charged with fraud and money laundering to support terrorists.

She is reported to have moved around $85,000 worth of Bitcoin and other digital currencies. This was allegedly meant to be in solidarity with ISIS.

A few years ago, a teenage Twitter user in Virginia also pleaded guilty to charges of using the platform to teach others on the process of using Bitcoins, most of whom were ISIL followers.

What Ought to Be Done?

Cryptocurrencies have become widespread and they are receiving more coverage on conventional media.

Cryptocurrencies have become widespread and they are receiving more coverage on conventional media.

By keeping up with technological advancements, terrorist groups are well in light of the full potential that the new digital currencies possess, especially on a fundraising front.

The crackdown on Bitcoins by the law enforcement agencies is proving to be relatively trivial.

The terrorist groups could be feeling the threat of having their habitat being encroached and may eventually start experimentation on other newer cryptocurrencies that will prove lesser traceable and provide room for more anonymity.

The use of exchange services online has users of various cryptocurrencies dependent on third-party businesses. The dependency may render the users vulnerable to account suspension and the risk of being reported to law enforcement agencies. This may force the terrorist groups to adapt and minimize their use of similar platforms.

There is still the probability of online transactions being the preferred location for donations to terror affiliations by those who are tech-savvy and to whom security is of less importance.

There is still hope in the sense that Bitcoin is still not such a secure source of funding for the terror networks. Widespread use of cryptocurrency is still limited despite advanced public awareness. Little infrastructure for people to use Bitcoins on actual goods and services are some of the factors seem to discourage the terrorists, despite being outwardly informed.

Law enforcement authorities should adopt counterterrorism measures to conceive the paradigm shift leading to the funding of terrorism via cryptocurrency becoming a major threat and head off the possible threat. Some may include targeting recruiting persons with skills in computer science.

They should be on the lookout for changes in the cryptocurrency world, such as the adoption of more sophisticated and anonymous currencies and the growth of digital currency exchanges not adherent on anti-money laundering and/or know-your-customer (KYC) procedures.

Terrorists have been testing Bitcoin funding models for quite some time, despite the cryptocurrency field being in the juvenile phases of development, usage and reception.

The public needs to create more awareness in spite of some notable crackdowns on terrorist activities. Tech leaders and stakeholders ought to do more and especially with the industry still evolving, terrorists will try and tap into the evolution.