Israel faced 600 ISIS-related cases in one year

India and Israel are two ends of a geostrategic arc, but intelligence czars in both countries are battling a common threat- ISIS warriors and their affiliates in the region spread across Iraq, Syria, Afghanistan, Pakistan, and south and central Asia.

The highly organised terror group is the first to have a stranglehold on both physical and digital territories, raising a red flag for the Israeli Security Agency, also known by its Hebrew acronym ‘Shin Bet’, and the Indian Intelligence Bureau.

The proscribed terror group, ISIS, responsible for inspiring several lone wolf attacks in India, found mention at both open and closed-door discussions of cyber and intelligence chiefs of several countries who are gathered in Tel Aviv for the annual Cyber Week event.

The charge was led by Ronen Bar, director of Shin Bet, who said Israel has faced 600 ISIS-related cases since the beginning of 2022. “They are added to roughly 800 major attacks we have foiled since January 2022,” he said.

Like India, the concerns are similar. Violent and dangerous content on social media and web; radicalisation and recruitment of youth; misinformation and disinformation campaigns and terror attacks in the region. “Some were even arrested just before attacking,” said Bar. “An alarming number of them have a strong basis on the web – posts, inspiration, knowledge or social groups.”

Bar said an example of online-driven ISIS terror was an attack in the city of Beer Sheva last year. “A man who consumed inciteful and dangerous ISIS content online,(content which by the way, is legal in Israel) was deeply affected,” he said. “He became radical in a heartbeat and murdered four people with a knife and a car.”

“We didn’t know he was going to carry out an attack. His wife didn’t know it. I doubt if he knew it, in the hours before the attack,” Bar added.

This is one among many examples of why the Shin Bet wants legislation to keep up with the pace of technology. “Unfortunately, we are not as quick as we should be,” he said.

The concerns are manifold. The fast-evolving digital space- artificial intelligence and ChatGPT- has rung alarm bells for the Israeli internal security agency. Bar explained that if ChatGPT is asked how to explain making a bomb it may refuse at first but when the question is rephrased, the results can be horrific. At the end of a short chat, Bar said it generated a very detailed text, which included a very specific explanation- which materials are needed, how to weigh and mix them and what to watch out for.

In the end, it said, “Good. Now always prioritize safety, never forget the consequences of your actions, and remember that our goal is not chaos, but to achieve something greater.”

According to Bar, the goal of counter-terrorism is also clear- not chaos, but to achieve something greater.

He said laws, regulations are equally important as goodwill and desire to improve and not cause harm. “Generative AI is already here,” he said. “The algorithm has been refined and built to appeal to our darkest sides. “

As the global anger index has risen, Dar warned that the algorithm, in less good hands, can have many negative effects.

“The web has accelerated phenomena like lack of governance, polarization between citizens and state institutions, and isolated individuals as well as minorities,” he said. “Instead of YouTubers, we see GunTubers.”

The rise of the potential Gen Z terrorists, brainwashed, recruited and armed, are the future of terrorism. Bar said the Shin Bet and Artificial intelligence have one thing in common – both are making a living by looking for patterns and anomalies.

To counter it, countries need to enhance cooperation and openness between tech giants and security organizations.

It is here the role of the startups becomes important – about fifty have entered the Israeli market recently with products that can be used both by the security sector, and the private, civilian sector.

Shin Bet’s openness to society, industry and civilian market in order to fight espionage, terrorism, incitement and foreign influence, is being seen as an example for other countries to follow. “It is time a nation is not defined by its physical territory and borders,” said Bar, “but also by its intellectual assets, databases and values. ”

Source » theweek