Hacker Who Sent US Data to ISIS Is Arrested
OCT 16, 2015 08:35 AM ET // BY AFP
Malaysian police have arrested a "terrorist hacker" wanted by Washington for allegedly stealing data related to more than a thousand US military and government personnel and providing the information to the Islamic State group.
In a statement late Thursday, Malaysian police said the 20-year-old man was arrested on September 15 and that he had arrived in the Southeast Asian country last year to study computer science in a private university.
The US Department of Justice said in a statement on Thursday it was seeking the extradition of the man, which it identified as Kosovo citizen Ardit Ferizi, known by his hacking moniker "Th3Dir3ctorY."
"This case is a first of its kind and, with these charges, we seek to hold Ferizi accountable for his theft of this information and his role in ISIL’s targeting of US government employees," the statement quoted Assistant Attorney General John P. Carlin saying, referring to the Islamic State group (IS).
The justice department statement dubbed Ferizi "a terrorist hacker," saying he had submitted hacked data to an IS member who then posted a 30-page document on twitter containing "the names, e-mail addresses, e-mail passwords, locations and phone numbers for approximately 1,351 US military and other government personnel."
The Twitter message read: “NEW: U.S. Military AND Government HACKED by the Islamic State Hacking Division!”
"We are in your emails and computer systems, watching and recording your every move, we have your names and addresses, we are in your emails and social media accounts, we are extracting confidential data and passing on your personal information to the soldiers of the (caliphate), who soon with the permission of Allah will strike at your necks in your own lands!” the document said, according to the justice department.
The statement added that the document was meant for IS supporters in the US and elsewhere to use the data "belonging to the listed government employees for the purpose of encouraging terrorist attacks against those individuals."
If found guilty in the US, the hacker will face up to 35 years in jail.
Over the past year, Malaysian police have arrested numerous suspects whom they say were IS sympathizers plotting attacks in the country.
Malaysia's senior counter-terrorism official Ayob Khan Mydin Pitchay told AFP in June that authorities had so far arrested 108 people who had suspected links to IS or were trying to travel to Syria or Iraq.
Muslim-majority Malaysia practices a moderate brand of Islam and has not seen any notable terror attacks in recent years.
But concern has risen in the multi-faith nation over growing hardline Islamic views and the country's potential as a militant breeding ground.
"Hacker Who Sent US Data to ISIS Is Arrested."
Discovery News. N.p., 16 Oct. 2015. Web. 19 Oct. 2015.
From <http://www.easybib.com/cite/view>
This article discusses a recent development in the fight against ISIS. A hacker was arrested. This author does a good job of not being biased. The author might have a slight bias towards the US, but they don’t make that abundantly evident. I find it interesting how the author discusses Malaysia. The author discusses arrests that have been made in Malaysia and the fact that they might be a possible breeding ground. The author tries to represent both sides of the situation, in that sense. I think that it is terrible that someone could hack into a computer and find the lives, in numbers, of over one thousand people. Now just because those people work for the government of America they, and their families, are targets. That concept is awful to me.
I completely agree with you. I think the author presents the information well, and the Malaysian response to the situation is impressive since they are willing to admit and arrest him for his actions. The man who committed this crime is no worse than the terrorists and thousands of lives are at risk because of him.
ReplyDeleteGreat article and great response! I agree with you that the author of this article probably had a slight bias towards the US, but I also agree that they kept their bias very well hidden.I also find this attack against the US more heinous that a physical attack becuase of the danger it puts their families and the invasion of their privacy. This is a very personal attack against certain government officials. Like I said, great article choice and great response. You showed a complete understanding of the information.
ReplyDeleteI agree completely with you. I think the author presents the information well, however i feel that he makes the statement "the hacker" so many times. I really do like this article, due to the fact that it's somthing different. So many times on the news all you hear is about head shopping stuff, and other terrible things. Im not saying that hacking isnt terrible, but its somthing new.
ReplyDeleteI thought that this was a great article and a great response. The response definitely met all the criteria, it is true that the article was quite unbiased , even though it was from a Western publishing. This is an interesting article as it show the true reach of the Islamic State.
ReplyDeleteI agree that the author does a very good job of not showing bias to either side, but presents the information in an informative manner. In this day and age, attacks through technology are going to become more evident. Technology has many great advantages, but it has become a large target that will be aimed at by all. This article was a great choice, because it is not the typical news article. Your response was great as well.
ReplyDeleteGreat article choice! I really liked how you completely comprehended the article and its aims. I agree with Phoebe in how technology does have many pros and cons, including hackers. It does come from a more Western perspective, but it again is well hidden throughout the article. Nice job!
ReplyDeleteThough it's a solid article that sticks to the facts, I wasn't terribly impressed by the quality of journalism and wished that more details regarding the hacker himself had been reported.
ReplyDeleteIt's true that the digital age has radically changed the nature of warfare--with each passing conflict we see more sophisticated uses of technology and information in combat, and ISIL has carved out a reputation for its technological literacy. In any case, I did find the mention of Islamic extremists from Southeast Asia seeking to join ISIL intriguing and am left wondering at what Malaysia's policies will be to cull what may become an increasingly common phenomenon.
I really agree with you in that it is terrible how people can hack into other people's lives just with connecting to a database of a government! it seems that there isn't a solution to stopping hackers from getting into what they want to if they are so determined in doing it except by making new and harder programs once in every while so that one program isn't there for too long. great article choice and good job in comprehending the context!!
ReplyDeleteThis is an interesting article because it shows the presence of a new warfare that isn't so new anymore. Hacking is actually amazing and its interesting how this specific instance is described as "terrorist hacking." I'm in agreement with what you stated in your response, however I don't think that they conveyed both sides so well. Conveying the US side, point of view, is easy, but the other side being the convicted man's is still unclear. All that is really said is his crime. Great article and response altogether.
ReplyDeleteGreat response and analysis, you seem to understand the article clearly and portray it well in your response. I agree with the author only having a slight bias, although its pretty well hidden. I also think it's horrible how the lives of the US military and government personnel are so vulnerable and so endangered by these hackers. Again, great article choice and response :)
ReplyDeleteThe information that has been brought to light as a result of Ferizi's cyber terrorism makes a great number of US government officials extremely vulnerable to further cyber attacks, bringing to question weather the US government is doing enough in it's efforts to fight ISIS. A conclusion that I drew form this article is that the number of terrorists that support ISIS is growing and they are much more capable of harm, now that they are able to inflict more than physical harm.
ReplyDeleteInteresting article and good response. Though the possibility of ISIL now having information on thousands of US Army personal is terrible, we do live in a very technological world where instances like these are not a rare occurrence anymore. I agree with your statement that the author does not necessarily portray a strong bias and that the article is well written. In addition I find it interesting that Malaysia practices such a strong counter-terrorism policy though they are a predominantly Muslim nation.
ReplyDeleteAs for your opinion I share your concerns on these people and how they are now a target for the IS. As for the article I agree that the author tried not to show a bias opinion and how the article represented both sides of the situation. Overall, I think you showed a good understanding and analyzed this article very well.
ReplyDeleteGood article, it was both interesting and disturbing. I'd definitely agree with your analysis of the article, but I would also agree with Mathew Yun in that I do wish the article had given more details on the hacker himself although it may have been somewhat for his safety.
ReplyDeleteWhen I said the author was trying to show both sides, I was referring more to Malaysia's role in the situation and not the side of the hacker. Yes, it is true that this point of view is neglected, but his situation is a federal case, and that could be part of the reason that details about him were not revealed, if at the time of the article it was still an ongoing investigation. I think it is interesting looking at peoples responses, to find some things I didn't think about. Hacking is something that is very possible and relevant to today's times and is something that could happen quite a lot. I think that there isn't very much publicity concerning these attacks though so it isn't something the public is aware of. There are some possible areas of weakness for the U.S. to work on, in that ISIS has moved onto cyber terrorism as well as physical.
ReplyDeleteI think you did a really good job on your response. You accurately identified that the writer had somewhat of a bias, which showed you understood the article. This article enlightened my perception of Malaysia's fight against terrorism. Prior reading the article, I did not know that Malaysia was and is very involved in this international fight. Also, I share your last statements of worrying for the families of US military that are now targeted.
ReplyDeleteCool article, yes, slightly scary but its our reality. Its very good to have articles on these topics because it just makes you aware of things that go on underneath that most aren't aware of. I also agree that they say little about the actual hacker showing a slight bias in the writing. Good analysis. Great job!!
ReplyDeleteThis was a really great article choice! It was definitely a little terrifying to read the message that was sent. I do agree with you that the author had little bias or at least didn't show much bias toward either side. I also agree with your response to the part about Malaysia in the article. Good job!
ReplyDeleteGreat article choice and response! I agree with you that the has a bias but keeps it hidden throughout the article. I like that this article because it addresses a different approach of terrorists that will become more and more common in the future. Great job!
ReplyDeleteI agree with you when you say the author doesn't seem very biased and does a good job of representing both sides. Good job on the response, and I really liked your article because it was really interesting:)
ReplyDeleteIt is distressing to find that hacking can dominate and cause destruction in the lives of people, especially with the trend of technology today. I think it’s important to cope with this situation perhaps by enhancing security codes to prevent further hacking risks. Overall, great article and response.
ReplyDeleteI do agree with the statements made both by you and the article. Bias is minuscule at most and the author did his best to portray how Malaysia was putting for effort to combat and stop terrorist activities. Overall, a very interesting story and a well written response. Well done!
ReplyDeleteWow this is an interesting topic, amy, but disturbing at the same time. Its scary to think that people who are high up in the government can't even protect their very personal security. If they can't, then certainly we cant protect ourselves from hackers. But i think 35 years in prison will do him good. I agree with what you said that there is not a lot of bias in this post.
ReplyDelete