Alleged ISIS member 'wore USB cufflink and trained terrorists in encryption' A Cardiff man said to be a member of ISIS and who is alleged to have trained terrorists in the use of encryption will be put on trial in March. Samata Ullah, 33, was charged earlier this month with six terrorism offences. Today at the Old Bailey Mr Justice Holroyde remanded Ullah in custody until 17 November, according to the …
possession of a PDF document about advances in missile guidance and control, and possession of a book about guided missiles
Well, I have a few of these. Plus a book by Morgan Kauffmann on how to roboticize a small fleet of Humvees.
We have been at war for 20+ years now, the presence of such goods should not be surprising.
Sometimes I really wonder about who they are arresting and charging for these offenses. In Alabama, Peyton Pruitt, with an IQ of 51, was charged with, among other things, "reading bomb-making instructions in al Qaeda’s online magazine, Inspire..."
Samata Ullah has been charged with teaching people how to use encryption, and putting an operating system onto USB sticks. Yes, the USB sticks were novelty cuff-links.
It just makes me wonder, ya know?
And this isn't the same as a thoughtcrime. The act of carrying a knife isn't illegal if you're a chef or carpet fitter on your way to a job which you can account for, but is illegal once proven to the court beyond reasonable doubt that the knife carried was intended as an offensive weapon. Teaching crypto isn't illegal to software engineering students, but is if it's intended as preparation for acts of terrorism.
"And this isn't the same as a thoughtcrime."
How so?
Intention is a subset of thought.
Perhaps intentionally, someone's confusing badthink and similar thoughtcrime with criminal conspiracy: where someone has created a material manifestation of their badthink by expressing it to others or formulating it into physical plans. That is not the case here. Quite the reverse in fact: The physical acts were NOT a physical development of the accused's badthink into actual sinister plans to realise his evil ends. As would be conspiracy. The physical acts are perfectly harmless and commonplace behaviour, to which supposed badthink has been speculatively and retrospectively attributed, for the sole purpose of malicious persecution/prosecution.
Charged with possession of USB stick disguised as a cufflink, which had "an operating system loaded on to it for a purpose connected with the commission, preparation or instigation of terrorism"
Deeds and SUPPOSED thoughts.
The poor sod's only "crime" there is his supposed thoughts.
Mate of mine is a chef and he was at catering college many years ago studying to become the next Gordon Ramsay. Him and a fellow student were walking home one night when it was dark after the clocks had gone back. The local plod spotting two older teenagers each carrying a heavy looking bag stopped and searched them. First out of one bag was a metal meat tenderiser which was looked upon with great interest by the police. A selection of what could conceivably in the street light have looked like lock picks was removed. This was followed by a blowtorch and then a large tied up heavy roll was fished out which when opened revealed a cornucopia of all manner of knives.
One of the Plod asks if they have an explanation for the suspicious looking kit. It's explained that they're catering students and what was being exhibited was the tools to their trade. So the 'lockpicks' are held up and their use questioned. My mate said he has never tried so hard not to laugh as he said "Obviously you've never had to get the meat out of a lobster or a crab and preserve the shell." Plod told them to stay out of trouble on their way home.
As much as I agree with the general tenor of this, the charge was not described as addressing an intention, but rather as a fact, i.e. he is alleged to have "supplied training", "was a member of [DAESH]," etc. Note the tense there. The case *allegedly* isn't about "intent" but actual acts. Theoretically, since the actual charges aren't about thoughts but rather about acts, the defendant has a vague chance of being acquitted. Or might have had before the vicious stupidity on London Bridge.
USB devices with an operating system on? Check
USB devices that do not have typical appearance of a USB stick? check (key & pen)
Researched encryption? Check
Implemented encryption? Check (Unlike Talk Talk not a fan of code I write storing unhashed plain text passwords so inevitably write some encryption code)
Used communications app that transmits data using end to end encryption? check
Used Tor? check
Lets add, written and made freely available code that encrypts data.
Good job I'm pale and interesting & don't have a name that sounds like Allah, otherwise it would be the anti terrorism doors kicked in at sully o clock anytime now!
Good luck reg actually getting some real info from plod on what was allegedly involved rather than generic comments that could pertain to just about any aspect of everyday mundane IT work.
Yup, dabbled in all of those as well, and diligently destroyed crypto archives afterwards, just in case the police gets instructed to do me over because I pissed off a politician (under RIPA you can be locked up for the crime of not remembering the passwords to some test crypto archives you made ages ago).
Indeed.
Also, this bit bothers me:
"Among the charges Ullah faces is an allegation that he had a USB stick disguised as a cufflink, which had "an operating system loaded on to it for a purpose connected with the commission, preparation or instigation of terrorism" contrary to section 57 of the Terrorism Act 2000."
So he had a USB stick loaded with Kali Linux?
It's good to see that these terrorists are rising to the standards of sartorial elegance that British counter-terrorist offices have always maintained.
Although your typical supervillian always seemed to favor badly tailored mao suits, proper soviet baddies at least had nicely pressed medal covered uniforms, it must have been a great disappointment to MI5 that they had to battle scruffy south american freedom fighters in army surplus berets and a bunch of terrorists dressed liked 1930s musical hall egyptians.
As an IT security person, I too have a thumb drive, I take classes on encryption and share that knowledge with my coworkers and a few IT friends. Does that make me a target to be arrested?
Thank god I don't work for the government, if I ever seamed un-happy at work they might make me disappear, like whats his name.
Umm. Youngest has one disguised as lego brick.
Eldest has one that looks like a pistol
I have several that could pass for keyboard buttons (with letters even)
And mine? full of bootable esoteric secured operating systems.
I expect to hear the zipties going on shortly.
It may just look like an idiot with USB cufflinks, but for ISIS this the future of warfare.
While we spend billions on drones, AI and robot armies, ISIS have just shown us the first iteration of a semi intelligent cyber soldier. By equiping an average suicide bomber with a cheap 512MB cufflink they've effectively catapulted the idiot into the 21st century and doubled his mental capacity.
The authorities are already compelling the chinese manufacturer of the cufflinks to decrypt the data contained within, but do far no luck.
I'll offer to brute force the PGP encryption for $1 million.
Metro Plod, along with the MI Mob, the Border Plod and the US' FBI and DEA have vivid imaginations. They can turn almost any scenario into a 'terrorist' related activity.
As a frequent intercontinental traveller I experience many types of Plod, or Cops, who seem to have one thing in common - ignorance.
Because of the UK 4 years jail or your password, and possession of various publications which are legal in many jurisdictions, I do a clean reload of my smartphone OS as well as the few Apps essential to the purpose of my journey. As new installs there is no history to reveal my activities. Oh, there is one particularly distasteful porn movie which I use to persuade parents of noisy kids on flights to stay well clear of me. Works well for those seat mates who try to see my screen, too.
Often I am asked to show my smartphone to border security, in the West, and the fact I have no social media Apps, or pictures, seems to give them cause for concern. It's amusing to see their high tech whiz score a maiden over and discover zip on my handset even though I have PGP, Signal, Telegram, Tor, Onion and other suggestive Apps. I even have a software coding program mounted.
The 'offences' with which Samata Ullah is charged could equally be applied to myself and other innocent people. In years past train spotting was common, these days the Plod 'investigates' such juveniles.
I have trained people in the use of encryption software; I have researched many subjects that should make the hairs of a security type's neck go erect; I also have websites that are adverse to some Western nations interests. I even design circuitry for munitions applications.
But this doesn't mean I support ISIS, Daesh, the NRA, etc. What it DOES mean is that I value my privacy.
Likewise, my several (legal) passports have most visas removed (acetone loosens any glue) and the multitude of immigration stamps are largely obliterated. This excites the Passport Agency, but it still doesn't make me a ''terrorist'. I favour 'loose' visas, the type that is stapled in to your passport rather than glued. The reason is that the price of a larger UK passport is excessive and 'loose' visas extend the average life of my passport from a couple of years to maybe even 8.
Travel from certain geographic areas automatically rates you as a drug dealer/runner. By using a different passport to enter a Western country that doesn't have a 'drug' country as your last destination gets you past Customs expeditiously.
So you are screwed if you do and you are screwed if you don't - just because of the twisted minds of 'security' types.
Entering Syria from, say, Jordan in the 60's, the consulate issued you a new passport if you had an Israeli stamp in yours. They also told you that in case of any problems you were "on your own".
The Register 
Biting the hand that feeds IT
Copyright. All rights reserved © 1998–2024
