MEMRI, 1 Dec 09: The exact number of Salafi-jihadi websites and forums has been a matter of debate among experts; the figures proposed range from a few dozen to thousands. The surge in the number of Islamist blogs in the past two years has intensified the debate and made calculation even more difficult. Scrutiny of many of these cyber domains, however, reveals that though the number of jihad domains is indeed high, only a handful of these domains can be considered significant and prominent sources of jihad material.
Currently, fewer than five forums are used by jihad media companies as a direct channel for disseminating their products (e.g., jihad films, texts, and audios). Moreover, only half a dozen Islamist forums attract multi-participant discussion among jihadists and jihad sympathizers worldwide. Most jihad cyber domains initiate very little, if any, original discussion, primarily reposting material from popular jihad forums. Hence, disabling the few prominent domains could seriously cripple Islamists’ ability to conduct mass online discussions, and could also hamper the rapid spread of jihad material in cyberspace. . . . . .
The Atlantic, 1 Dec 09: Most people could be forgiven for being unfamiliar with JSOC. The Joint Special Operations Command is part of the U.S. military’s Special Operations Command, for which it oversees cerain special operations. Established in 1980 following the unsuccessful rescue of American hostages at the U.S. embassy in Tehran, it has remained an obscure and secretive corner of the military’s hierarchy.
But JSOC has enjoyed a rapid expansion of authority and notoriety beginning in the latter years of the Bush administration. Under President Obama, JSOC appears to be playing an increasingly prominent role in national security, counter-terrorism and the war in Afghanistan. If Obama’s first ten months in office are any indication, it may not be so obscure for long. A series of reports has shown JSOC taking on greater responsibility, especially in areas traditionally covered by the CIA. . . . .
CIA: This is a part of our series about CIA employees who have died in the line of duty, making the ultimate sacrifice for the United States of America.
Currently, there are 90 stars carved into the marble of the CIA memorial wall. The wall stands as a silent, simple memorial to those employees “who gave their lives in the service of their country”. The CIA has released the names of 55 employees; the names of the remaining 35 officers must remain secret, even in death.
Action. Responsibility. Leadership. These are words Johnny Micheal “Mike” Spann used to describe himself in his application to the CIA. He took these traits with him when he deployed in the fall of 2001 to Afghanistan as part of the government’s response to the terrorist attacks of September 11th.
Mike was conducting initial interviews of extremists held in Qali-Jangi fortress at Mazar-e Sharif when hundreds of prisoners revolted and he was attacked. His last act, just before he was killed by those who had supposedly surrendered, was to warn an Agency colleague of the imminent danger.
Mike was the first American killed in combat in Afghanistan. His life was taken on November 25, eight years ago today. His actions in the six weeks he was in the country made a major contribution to the battle against the Taliban and al-Qaeda forces in north-central Afghanistan.
From Alabama to Washington
The son of Johnny and Gail Spann, Mike grew up in Winfield, Alabama. He played both wide receiver and running back for the Winfield High School Pirates football team. Mike attended Auburn University, where he graduated with a degree in criminal justice in 1992. In December 1991, while still at Auburn, he joined the Marine Corps as an artillery specialist. He spent eight years in the Marines, rising to the rank of captain.
Mike joined CIA in 1999 as a paramilitary officer. He graduated from the basic training program of the National Clandestine Service just a year before his death. Director of Central Intelligence George Tenet described Mike as “quiet, serious, and absolutely unflappable … [his] stoicism concealed a dry sense of humor and a heart of gold.”
At Mike’s funeral at Arlington National Cemetery in December 2001, Director Tenet had this to say:
“It was in the quest for right that Mike at his country’s call went to Afghanistan. To that place of danger and terror, he sought to bring justice and freedom. And to our nation — which he held so close to his heart — he sought to bring a still greater measure of strength and security. For Mike understood that it is not enough simply to dream of a better, safer world. He understood that it has to be built — with passion and dedication, in the face of obstacles, in the face of evil.”
Johnny Micheal Spann’s star is the 79th carved on the Agency’s Memorial Wall and his name appears in the CIA Book of Honor. He is remembered for his courage and dedication. Mike received the Intelligence Star and the Exceptional Service Medallion posthumously.
Computerworld, 30 Nov 09: New tools capable of quickly finding, gathering and correlating information about individuals from social networking sites and other public sources are giving online scammers a powerful new weapon, say security researchers.
The tools allow potential attackers to build detailed profiles of individuals by finding and piecing together bits and pieces of information about them scattered on social sites and other public forums. The information can then be used in highly targeted, “spear-phishing” scams and other attacks against individuals and enterprises, they said. . . .
. . . . The application can be used to determine relationships and real-world connections between people, groups of people such as those in a social network, companies and Web sites. It can also be used to find links between domains, DNS names, IP addresses, and even documents and files on the Internet.
For instance, the tools can be used to develop a list of Gmail users at the National Security Agency, find which NSA employees are using MySpace, or to attach e-mail addresses to phone numbers. A graphical user interface presents the information visually.
Paterva claims more than 5,000 users in the security, forensics and law enforcement industries. Maltego has typically been used in tasks such as mapping corporate and social networks and performing information footprints on corporations.
Exomind can also be used to profile the vocabulary that individuals use in their interactions with others on social networking sites, Waissbein said. The information can be used to impersonate a co-worker, business partner or customer — right down to the particular vocabulary of that person. . . . .
RIA Novosti, 1 Dec 09: Russia’s Black Sea Fleet has terminated counterintelligence operations in Ukraine’s Crimea and is sending all ‘special service’ officers to other posts, a Russian intelligence source said on Tuesday.
Ukraine earlier ordered 19 Federal Security Service (FSB) officers to leave Sevastopol, where the fleet is based, before December 28.
“The special service command has already left Sevastopol,” the source said. “Black Sea Fleet counterintelligence officers will be moved from Sevastopol to Novorossiisk.”
He said the Russian counterintelligence officers had been based in the Crimea with the permission of Ukraine, which had sought cooperation in fighting terrorism and extremism.
However, after the August 2008 war in Georgia, Valentyn Nalivaichenko, the head of the Ukrainian Security Service, said the FSB presence was unnecessary.
Ukrainian President Viktor Yushchenko pledged last Monday to force Russia’s Black Sea Fleet to leave the Crimea before 2017.
Russia’s Black Sea Fleet uses a range of naval facilities in the Crimea, including the Sevastopol base, as part of a 10-year lease agreement signed in 1997.
