Terror groups recruiting more IT experts

Terrorist organisations like Al-Qaeda are recruiting more computer experts, says security expert Rohan Gunaratna from the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies (RSIS).

These experts are being used to exploit advances in technology to support terror activities, including cyber terrorism, he says.

There is growing evidence of this trend in Indonesia, where several tech-savvy extremist and jihadist groups have used cyberfraud and cybertheft to get money for their clandestine activities.

RSIS security researcher Nur Azlin Mohamed Yasin, who studies cyber terrorism trends, adds that Indonesian terrorists have hacked into police and medical websites. A jihadi forum, At-Tawbah, has a section on IT with hacking manuals such as Hacker Underground Training 2011, she says. It contains an e-book and a video series, a hacking manual from Western sources, she reveals.

Citing other examples, Dr Gunaratna discloses that the September 2011 Solo church bombing in Indonesia was funded by money obtained by extremists who hacked into a multi-level marketing website engaged in online investments. The e-thieves stole 225 million rupiah (S$24,750).

"While it is difficult to prevent a cyber attack, we must stop (such) attacks from being successful," says Dr Gunaratna.

The work done by the Infocomm Development Authority is one example of how cyber attacks can be spotted and defused.

"To fight cyber terrorism, governments must be agile and stay one step ahead of their enemies.

"It's a very vulnerable domain. The government must be like the shadow of the terrorists, moving with them and blocking their moves," says Dr Gunaratna.

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