The Counter Terrorist Magazine December / January 2018 / 2019

PREVENTING RANSOMWARE ATTACKS, THE DECISION CYCLE, KILLING WITH KINDNESS

Journal for Law Enforcement, Intelligence & Special Operations Professionals

DEC 18/JAN 19

VOLUME 11 • NUMBER 6

TRUMP RETURNS "JIHAD" TO INTELLIGENCE

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Circle 241 on Reader Service Card

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Counter CONTENTS

The Journal for Law Enforcement, Intelligence & Special Operations Professionals

14

6

18

DECEMBER 2018/JANUARY 2019

VOLUME 11 • NUMBER 6

COVER STORY:

14

TRUMP RETURNS "JIHAD" TO INTELLIGENCE

by Raymond Ibrahim

FEATURES:

6

HOW THEY KILL WITH KINDNESS

by Orlando Wilson

18

PREVENTING RANSONWARE ATTACKS

by Zohar Pinhasi

24

UNDERSTANDING THE DECISION CYCLE

by Editorial Staff

DEPARTMENTS: 04

6

34

From the Editor

For The Good of The People

Innovative Products

DeSantis Complete, A Homeland Security Degree with a Public Health Preparedness Option

Book Review

Reliance of the Traveller

By Ahmad ibn Naqib al-Misri

Cover Photo: President Trump fist pumps from Air Force One. Photo: White House

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The Counter Terrorist ~ December 2018/January 2019 3

Counter The

FROM THE EDITOR:

by Garret Machine

Journal for Law Enforcement, Intelligence & Special Operations Professionals

T

VOLUME 11 • NUMBER 6

he oldest functioning constitution in the world is constantly under attack from the left, trying to interpret what some say is plain English. As a result, our Second Amendment rights have been restricted; in the United States, you cannot own a shortbarreled rifle, silencer, full-auto weapon, or many others. In fact, there is an entire government agency (ATF) tasked with this type of regulation. The good citizens of America have accepted this modern interpretation of the Second Amendment as reasonable and within the spirit of the text.

The Fourteenth Amendment states, “All persons born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States…” Sounds simple to me, but now, like the First and Second Amendments, the Fourteenth Amendment needs to be interpreted for the modern world—while keeping the spirit of the text and the greater good of the nation in mind. Anchor babies are not in the spirit of this amendment and should not be awarded the most prestigious passport in the world.

The men who founded this country had foresight and knew the fall of the nation could come from within. To preserve the values they held so sacred, they included an important clause in the Fourteenth Amendment: “and subject to the jurisdiction thereof.” In any other legal application, that statement means one thing: The government has power to exercise its authority over persons and territory. But I have a simple question: Can an entity exercise its authority over something of which it has no record, knowledge, oversight, or control? In other words, can a person be subject to the jurisdiction of an entity that has no record of said person? Obviously the answer to the above is no, absolutely not. Further, illegal immigrants are already “legally” voting in local CA elections, according to Pew Research, and 70% of them are voting Democrat.

Between 2000 and 2017, the Gallup organization surveyed Democrats and Republicans alike and asked whether they felt proud to be an American. The results did not surprise me.

Democrats’ patriotism directly related to who was in the White House, while Republicans remained almost unwavering in their patriotism throughout the 18-year period:

DECEMBER 2018 / JANUARY 2019 Editor Garret Machine

• “American pride” at the end of the Clinton presidency/beginning of the Bush

presidency: Democrats 84%, Republicans 90% • “American pride” at the end of the Bush presidency/beginning of the Obama

presidency: Democrats 76%, Republicans 95% • “American pride” at the end of the Obama presidency/beginning of the Trump

presidency: Democrats 67%, Republicans 92%

ISSN 1941-8639 The Counter Terrorist Magazine, Journal for Law Enforcement, Intelligence & Special Operations Professionals is published by Security Solutions International LLC, as a service to the nation’s First Responders and Homeland Security Professionals with the aim of deepening understanding of issues related to Terrorism. No part of the publication can be reproduced without permission from the publisher. The opinions expressed herein are the opinions of the authors represented and not necessarily the opinions of the publisher. Please direct all Editorial correspondence related to the magazine to: Security Solutions International SSI, 13155 SW 134th Street, Suite 103, Miami, Florida.

33186 or info@thecounterterroristmag.com The subscription price for 6 eZine issues of the magazine is $19.99. (1-866-573-3999) Fax: 1-786-573-2090.

Social justice warriors have no centralized or defined limit to their desired utopian Eurostyle welfare state. You can see the left on campuses everywhere championing the causes of fringe groups and repudiating the idea of American national identity. So what, then, is the end game of the liberal left? Ironically, the migrants they claim to represent often seek to replicate the very cultural conditions they are escaping. Many are inept at assimilating into modern Western society, and the progressive left champions hyphenated Americans, not patriots.

What are the long-term effects of these trends? According the Pew Research Center, 23%—almost one-fourth—of all babies born in the U.S. are born to immigrants. The birth rate among U.S.-born women has decreased since 1970. However, the overall U.S. birth rate has increased in that period due to the rising number of births in the immigrant population.

Where are these immigrant mothers coming from? In order of birth rate in America, they are coming from Mexico, China, India, El Salvador, Guatemala, the Philippines, Honduras, and Vietnam. As recently reported by NBC, in Russia, it is a status symbol to come to Miami just to give birth!

Garret Machine Editor, The Counter Terrorist 4 The Counter Terrorist ~ December 2018/January 2019

Director of Operations Carmen Arnaes Director of Advertizing Sol Bradman Administrative Jennifer Junatas Contributing Editors Garret Machine Orlando Wilson Raymond Ibrahim Zohar Pinhasi Friedrich Seiltgen Graphic Design Morrison Creative Company Copy Editor Laura Town Advertising Sales Sol Bradman bradman@homelandsecurityssi.com 305-302-2790 Publisher: Security Solutions International 3479 NE 163 St. • STE 127 N Miami Beach, FL 33160

For article reprints, e-prints, posters and plaques please contact: Security Solutions International at villegas@homelandsecurityssi.com or call 786-573-3999 Please visit the magazine web site where you can also contact the editorial staff:

www.thecounterterrroristmag.com © 2018 Security Solutions International

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The Counter Terrorist ~ December 2018/January 2019 5

HOW THEY KILL WITH KINDNESS

By Orlando Wilson

U.S. Service members with an anti-terrorism/force protection team examine a suspicious item found during a Task Force Colonist event at Bagram Airfield, Afghanistan, May 30, 2013, Photo by: SSgt Stephenie Wade

6 The Counter Terrorist ~ December 2018/January 2019

The devil does not come to you with a red face and horns, he comes to you disguised as everything you ever wanted!

W

hen going over threat

assessments with security consultants, executive protection personnel, and the like, it amazes me that the vast majority of people only consider and plan for dealing with the threats of physical violence or theft. Their operational plans then usually consist of nothing more than supplying as many armed personnel, armored cars, and house alarms as the budget will allow. However, providing your clients with a serious security program, in my opinion, means you should be proactive and preventative, not simply reactive.

To start with, what people forget is that in most countries it is impossible for foreigners to legally carry firearms for self-defense, and if locals can carry firearms, the laws on use of force are usually very strict; obtaining

the weapons and permits can be very difficult and expensive. More importantly, although armed guards, trained or untrained, can reassure a client and deter your basic street criminal, for professional criminals they are just a show that presents little deterrence.

I tell my clients that I place the threat from blackmail and kidnapping a lot higher than that of assassination.

Think about it: If someone is executed, what use are they? None.

But if someone can be entrapped, blackmailed and manipulated, they can provide the criminals with an ongoing source of funds, information, etc. If someone is kidnapped, they are a valuable asset that can be ransomed or used as a bargaining tool to influence the decisions of others.

Now, think like a criminal who

The Counter Terrorist ~ December 2018/January 2019 7

“there are many ways to make a protection team operationally ineffective, and the use of force is nowhere near the top of this list.” is going to kidnap someone who is traveling with armed bodyguards: Would you want to get into a shootout with the bodyguards and risk your life and that of the person you want to kidnap, and alert the police or military, or would you rather do things more discreetly?

“Plata o plomo” (Silver or Lead) is a common criminal saying in Latin America, and it means take my money or take my bullets. This is not just a Latin American phenomenon; in the late 90s I had dealings with a guy in Eastern Europe who was tactically and self-defense–wise very capable.

He was working for a state police unit protecting a politician who had Mafia issues, as most people with any influence did in those days in that region. The Mafia group’s initial approach to the politician was not directly to him; they first contacted the wives of the bodyguards on his security detail. And, as usual the initial approach was very polite, offering financial rewards for favors…”So, who’s more important to you, a client or your family?”

In the real world, fighting is for amateurs; think about it from the

criminal’s point of view, there are many ways to make a protection team operationally ineffective, and the use of force is nowhere near the top of this list. To start with, most people’s standard of personal security is extremely low. They’re a bodyguard and have a gun, so people are scared of them, right? Well, maybe these bodyguards are impressed with their reflection in the mirror when they are taking selfies in the bathroom wearing their best suit and tie…Most are not up to the task, just watch the documentary on Netflix and quickly agree.

If a “bodyguard” can’t protect them self, how can they protect others?

Professional personal security is 24/7, not just for the length of a detail or shift.

In most places in the world drugs are freely available, so why should a criminal need to get into a shootout when they can just drug their target’s security team? It's common for people to get drugged in bars and clubs for robbery or rape, but many professionals in the security business don't consider this threat to security details. What would it take for a server at your regular coffee shop to spike your morning latte with Ketamine, GHB, or Rohypnol? I am sure if your threat comes from semiprofessional criminals they will be assessing your routine, and I am sure the barista who is making your morning coffee with a smile will happily take the criminals’ silver rather than lead. A basic Gypsy robbery tactic in Europe is to get their small children to go out and sell glasses of tea or soft drinks to tourists.

In some cases this is to make the target

8 The Counter Terrorist ~ December 2018/January 2019

vulnerable when otherwise guarded.

Would you expect a little girl to give you a spiked drink?

Always know where your food and drink comes from, always be suspicious of gifts, and never leave food or beverages unattended in public or with strangers, especially attractive women you have just met.

The common date rape drugs like Rohypnol, GHB, and ketamine are tasteless and odorless, take effect in approximately 15 to 30 minutes, and usually last three to six hours depending on dosage. These drugs make the victims weak or render them unconscious and unable to remember later what happened. Prescription drugs such as Klonopin and Xanax have similar effects, especially in large doses.

A drug that is regularly used in crimes in Colombia, Venezuela, and Ecuador is Burandanga (scopolamine), which is extracted from the Borrachero tree. Scopolamine has numerous legitimate medical uses, but when used by rapists and criminals, it renders their victims into a compliant zombielike state of which they remember nothing. Victims have the outward appearance of being okay but are in fact in a trance and are totally unaware of what they’re doing. Victims of scopolamine overdose are common in Colombian hospitals, as are the deaths of those who received a large dose or had a low tolerance. This drug is more common than people think. I have come across similar ones in Haiti and West Africa; once administered through liquid or powder form, the victim is completely compliant and helpless.

In the late 90s in Eastern Europe I knew of one very low-profile government agency that suffered several fatalities from targeted chemical attacks. The initial killings were not recognized as targeted assassination as the victims had died in car crashes. What sparked concern was that during the autopsies the victims, who were otherwise fit and in good physical condition, had fluid in their lungs. They had been killed by an anesthesia drug placed in the ventilation intake of their cars, so when they were running the car’s heating system, the anesthesia was dispersed inside the car, and they died from a chemical overdose combined and covered with a car crash.

In 2002 Russian special forces used

an anesthesia drug to end the hostage crisis at Nord-Ost Theater in Moscow.

The drug, Kolokol-1, was pumped into the theater through the ventilation/ heating system and knocked out everyone inside; all the terrorists were killed, but unfortunately so were 130 of the hostages, reportedly due to adverse effects from the drug. A much lower-tech version of this would be to spray pepper or OC spray into a building’s ventilation intake; the gas would disperse throughout the building and affect anyone inside if sufficient quantities were used.

One of the best and most effective weapons organized criminals have and use is sex. I remember as a 17-yearold British infantryman first in basic training and then Northern Ireland

being warned that the Irish terrorists used to send women into the bars to pick up (honey trap) soldiers; when the troops went home with these young ladies instead of getting sexual favors they got a beating or a bullet in the head from their awaiting accomplices.

The tactic of the “honey trap” is where, let’s say, a female (although there can be male honey traps) will approach and start a conversation with a male, who may be a preplanned target or just someone who looks like he has money. The aim of the female is to get the male to go with her to a hotel room or apartment for sex. If the male goes with her, then the trap can develop in several ways. A crude

Photo: Unsplash

The Counter Terrorist ~ December 2018/January 2019 9

honey trap would be where the male is drugged or beaten and then robbed.

A more intricate honey trap would involve the man being videoed having sex with the female, the more deviant the better, and then blackmailed for favors or hard currency.

Some honey traps can go on for an extended period of time and can form into what the male believes is a relationship; this will continue until the controllers or criminals behind the trap get the information or results they are after. Another criminal tactic is to use a mature-looking but underage girl or boy as the bait, that way they have a lot of leverage on the male who has unknowingly committed a serious criminal act, sex with a minor. Think about it, how many guys do you know who would say NO if you gave them a gift of an afternoon in a decent hotel room with two attractive young ladies who were there to please?

Now I am sure most security professionals would say they would never do such things while on a detail or in life in general, but I will say they are talking BS. Boys will be boys, I understand this and know that some men when away from their wives, families, and regular environments will take every opportunity to party.

This has been common practice in the most professional of organizations, as evidenced by the U.S. Secret Service scandal of 2012.

I once got a short-term job in a conservative Middle Eastern country for someone I worked with on the circuit in London. He is former British army and had a good career in the British Police. He has an accomplished background and also an addiction to

Tinder, which I thought would have been blocked in the country we were in. When not working he was doing his best to meet up with and try to sleep with any woman that would have him, even though unmarried couples caught having relations in that country would lead to both parties being thrown in jail. In this situation the only person he was a danger to was himself, and to be honest, if he had gotten himself arrested, apart from it being highly amusing for me, it would have been a good introduction to the real world for him after his career in the sheltered environments of the British military and police.

So, from a management point of view you need to ensure your people are experienced and mature enough not to be tempted by any woman that looks in their direction. In Eastern Europe it’s not uncommon to get prostitutes phoning your hotel room offering their services, your details supplied by their associates working in the hotel. Would you say no? Would the people you’re working with say no?

Whether prostitutes are found online, at a strip bar, or supplied by another sources, they can all bring big problems, not only disease but also robbery and blackmail. The U.S. Secret Service had major issues in 2012 in Cartagena, Colombia. The agents were stupid enough to take prostitutes they met in a night club to their hotel rooms where they had their weapons, presidential security plans, phones and computers, etc. There are plenty of “by the hour” hotels in Colombia, so why take a hooker to your hotel? The less your new friend knows about you the better, even if

10 The Counter Terrorist ~ December 2018/January 2019

you are in love!

Their behavior can only be described as completely stupid, and the whole affair came to light after they refused to pay a girl her agreed fee and she called the cops on them. In many places the police provide security and act as enforcers for sex workers; they earn some extra money or favors in return. Maybe in this case the agents would have been better off in the short term if the girl’s protectors were Cartel and not local police, but in the long term favors would have needed to be returned; nothing is ever free!

Again, asking from a management point of view: Would a security detail for a senior Cartel member be put in the same situation as the Secret Service agents? I think not. I am sure, if required, they would have access to trusted women in a neutral location.

I am also sure that if they committed the same security negligence as the U.S. agents, they would be lucky to just get a bullet in the head.

Five-star hotels and exclusive venues are always a favored hangout for attractive women seeking to better themselves and make some hard currency in the process. Be it London, Paris, Miami, or Port Harcourt, these ladies will not be hard to find. One funny story that could have led to big problems involves a gentleman I know who exchanged phone numbers with a very attractive lady he met in a high-end hotel lobby in West Africa.

After an evening exchanging texts, he invited the girl to his hotel room.

When she got there, an argument quickly broke out because he did not realize he had to pay for her time. I think his ego was hurt. He ended up,

when the situation was made clear to him, paying the girl, which was the right thing to do. He was dumb and had wasted her time; for her it was business, and if he just wanted a conversation, he should have Skyped his wife.

A lot of the sex business is run by organized crime, and in a lot of places, as I have said, the police provide protection for the venues and the girls.

The criminals and police also use the girls to provide them with intelligence on potential targets for blackmail, extortion, or kidnapping. With a call to her friends in the police, our dumb friend’s actions in West Africa could have caused him and maybe the rest of the security team a lot of third-world problems, which would have cost everyone a lot more than the girl’s fee

to make her go away.

Now think about this scenario: You’re in your hotel room in a developing country, and there is a knock on your door. When you answer it, there are the hotel manager and two police officers who ask to search your room. Are you going to say no? Can you say no? When they look under your bed, they find an illegal handgun; hopefully they give you an option to pay a fine and not just drag you off to a third-world prison?

Do you think anyone will believe the gun was not yours? There are three witnesses who were present when it was found. So, how could an illegal weapon (or drugs or child porn) end up in your hotel room? Well, maybe via any attractive young ladies your team has decided to entertain.

Think about what you would do

in your own country if your car was broken into or you came home one day to find your front door has been forced open. Call the cops? Most people would wait for the cops to turn up and then make entry into the house, or let the cops check for fingerprints, etc. But what’s going to happen if the cops enter your house and find illegal drugs or look under your car seat and find a firearm that hopefully for your sake has not been used in a crime. In some obvious breakins, you need to be more concerned about things being put in place rather than what’s been taken!

In many places the police, judges, and legal system are for hire and at the service of the highest bidder or the best connected. One good example of this was highlighted to me when I

Photo by: Pixabay

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The Counter Terrorist ~ December 2018/January 2019 11

was offered a security job in a fairly remote part of Eastern Europe, again in the late 1990s, for clients who had a dispute with a local governor over some very valuable assets. At the time I had very good contacts in the country who made it very clear to me there was no way to provide security in that region.

We could hire the most capable people in that area, but even though they would be working for us, they answered to that region’s governor.

Their families, their jobs, and their whole lives were there. Would they risk all of this for a short-term contact?

I know they wouldn’t! It was in their best interest to take our money but then to inform on us and work against our interests.

So, why not take in a security detail from another area? Well, we did not think it would take long before they were arrested for some reason. Again, the governor controlled the region, which meant the police, courts, and judges. There would be no need for Hollywood shootouts; the whole security detail could be arrested by a superior number of well-armed police on trumped up weapons charges, drugs charges, etc. I am sure after a few days of being abused in prison and in media headlines declaring the illegal activities of these guns for hire, the judge would do his duty and give them a long custodial sentence. This would also highlight to the client that it would be in his interests to just comply with the governor’s wishes and live happy ever after. So I did not take the job.

So, hopefully you can see from this short article there are a lot of

real threats out there that need to be taken into consideration when working a security detail, more than just the threat of physical assault. A lot of the issues I have highlighted here can occur in Western Europe and the U.S.; you don’t have to be in one of today’s high-risk countries.

If your threat assessment identifies a threat from serious criminals, you need to consider and plan for all possible threats, put yourself in the criminal’s shoes, and think how you would target yourself. Always remember, if you can’t solve a problem with money, then you can always solve it with a lot of money… but it’s better still to just avoid the issues than hope you have enough cash available to solve them!

Since leaving the British army in 1993, Mr. Wilson has worked in South and West Africa, Western and Eastern Europe, the U.S., the Middle East, Latin America, and the Caribbean and coordinated projects in many other countries.

His experience has ranged from providing close protection/bodyguard services for Middle Eastern Royal families and varied corporate clients to kidnap and ransom services, corporate intelligence, and paramilitary training for private individuals, tactical police units, and government agencies. •

ABOUT THE AUTHOR Since leaving the British army in 1993, Mr. Wilson has worked in South and West Africa, Western and Eastern Europe, the U.S., the Middle East, Latin America, and the Caribbean and coordinated projects in many other

12 The Counter Terrorist ~ December 2018/January 2019

countries. His experience has ranged from providing close protection/bodyguard services for Middle Eastern Royal families and varied corporate clients to kidnap and ransom services, corporate intelligence, and paramilitary training for private individuals, tactical police units, and government agencies.

CONTACT INFO: Risks Incorporated International Defense Strategies LLC E-mail: contact@risks-incorporated. com Risks Incorporated: http://www.risksincorporated.com Orlando's Blog: http://www. cornishprivateer.com Risks Inc. on Facebook: https://www. facebook.com/risksinc

Discussing security in Laghman province, 3 August 2011. Photo by: Staff Sgt. Ryan Crane

The Counter Terrorist ~ December 2018/January 2019 13

TRUMP RETURNS "JIHAD" TO INTELLIGENCE BUT WILL IT REVERSE DECADES OF ENTRENCHED INDOCTRINATION?

by Raymond Ibrahim Far from taking the most basic advice regarding warfare—Sun Tzu's ancient dictum, "Know your enemy"— the U.S. government could not even acknowledge the enemy.

P

resident Trump's new national security strategy is set to return words relevant to understanding Islamic terrorism—such as "jihad"—that had been expunged from the Intelligence and Defense communities' lexicon, most notably under the Obama administration. According to the new

strategy document, "The primary transnational threats Americans face are from jihadist terrorists and transnational criminal organizations"; the document also vows to "pursue threats to their source, so that jihadist terrorists are stopped before they ever reach our borders."

Trump visits MacDill Air Force Base , 6 February 2017, Photo by: D. Myles Cullen 14 The Counter Terrorist ~ December 2018/January 2019

The Counter Terrorist ~ December 2018/January 2019 15

This is significant on several levels— the first being as basic as "knowing one's enemy," which President Obama had refused to do. In 2011 it was reported1 that "the Obama administration was pulling back all training materials used for the law enforcement and national security communities, in order to eliminate all references to Islam that some Muslim groups have claimed are offensive."

One Obama official explained the logic: "I want to be perfectly clear about this: training materials that portray Islam as a religion of violence or with a tendency towards violence are wrong, they are offensive, and they are contrary to everything that this president, this attorney general and Department of Justice stands for. They will not be tolerated."

It should be noted, however, that the politically correct induced paralysis that Obama championed was already well entrenched before him.

Speaking in 2006 during the George W. Bush administration, William Gawthrop, a former Pentagon official, said2 "the senior Service colleges of the Department of Defense had not incorporated into their curriculum a systematic study of Muhammad as a military or political leader. As a consequence, we still do not have an in-depth understanding of the war-fighting doctrine laid down by Muhammad, how it might be applied today by an increasing number of Islamic groups, or how it might be countered."

Similarly, a 2008 government memo3 that also appeared under Bush warned against "offending," "insulting," or being "confrontational" to Muslims: "Never use the terms

'jihadist' or 'mujahideen' in conversation to describe the terrorists.

A mujahed, a holy warrior, is a positive characterization in the context of a just war. In Arabic, jihad means 'striving in the path of God' and is used in many contexts beyond warfare. Calling our enemies jihadis and their movement a global jihad unintentionally legitimizes their actions."

Needless to say, such instructions were and are wrong on so many levels.

Jihad is the antithesis of Just War; the former by nature is aggressive, the latter defensive. The claim that jihad literally means "striving ... and is used in many contexts beyond warfare" is as disingenuous as claiming that the words "boyfriend" and "girlfriend" literally denote a friend of one gender or the other and nothing more. In both cases reality is more complex: just as a "boyfriend/girlfriend" implies a very specific kind of friend to Western ears, so too does "jihad" imply a very specific kind of struggle to Muslims ears—armed warfare against the infidel to make Islam supreme. Finally, the claim that "calling our enemies jihadis ... legitimizes their actions" is beyond silly: Muslims are hardly waiting for Americans—"infidels"—to confer or withhold Islamic legitimacy on anything. They have their own Islamic scriptures, law, and clerics for that.

Stripped of all words dealing with Islam, how were analysts to understand jihadi motivations, tactics, strategies, goals, and a myriad of other considerations? Far from taking the most basic advice regarding warfare— Sun Tzu's ancient dictum, "Know your enemy"— the U.S. government could not even acknowledge the enemy.

Nor does much seem to have

16 The Counter Terrorist ~ December 2018/January 2019

changed, at least in the Legislative branch. Five months ago, and by a vote of 208-217, the U.S. House of Representatives voted down an amendment4 that would require the Defense Department to conduct "strategic assessments of the use of violent or unorthodox Islamic religious doctrine to support extremist or terrorist messaging and justification."

The rationale given by those voting it down is familiar: Jamie Raskin (DMD) said that "terrorist killers have used religious doctrines and concepts from every major religion on earth ...

Focusing on (Islam) exacerbates the problem by fomenting the myth that religious fanaticism and terrorism are unique to the charlatans and predators of Islam." Pramila Jayapal (D-WA) denounced the amendment's inability to "apply its arbitrary surveillance equally" by "includ[ing] assessments of White supremacist terrorism or terrorism committed against abortion clinics and doctors."

But as Clifford Smith observes: "While few people in the U.S. military are likely to come face to face with an angry and armed racist or anti-abortion activist in the line of duty, radical Islamists make it their business to kill Americans in nearly every corner of the world.... [I]t is unsupportable to say that all religions are the same, or that all religions have equally threatening ideological trends at all points in history."

Here, then, is the greater point: that a majority of the House of Representatives voted down what is an otherwise commonsensical amendment is a reminder that the issue of ignoring jihadi ideology and seeing only generic terrorism

has always transcended the activities of Obama and permeated a significant portion of American society—including, no doubt, in the Intelligence community.

Trump's return of terminology relevant to the question of Islamic terrorism is certainly a step in the right direction. Yet, he is one man; and just as Obama was one man who did not create but rather championed the politically correct approach to Islam, it still remains to be seen how far the return of such terms will overcome decades of indoctrination.

FOOTNOTES

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

https://www.yahoo.com/news/ obama-administration-pullsreferences-islam-terror-trainingmaterials-044605689.html 2 http://www.nationalreview.com/ article/225611/studying-islamic-waywar-raymond-ibrahim 3 http://www.investigativeproject.org/ documents/misc/127.pdf 4 http://www.washingtonexaminer. com/muslims-have-the-most-to-loseif-we-play-dumb-on-islamic-terrorism/ article/2630932

Raymond Ibrahim is a Shillman Fellow at the David Horowitz Freedom Center, a Judith Friedman Rosen Writing Fellow at the Middle East Forum and a CBN News contributor. He is the author of Crucified Again: Exposing Islam's New War on Christians (2013) and The Al Qaeda Reader (2007).

1

Photo by: IDF President Trump Meeting with the National Security Council Resilience Directorate.

13 September 2018. Official White House Photo by: Joyce N. Boghosian

The Counter Terrorist ~ December 2018/January 2019 17

HOW TO PREVENT RANSOMWARE ATTACKS

5 PRACTICAL SOLUTIONS

By Zohar Pinhasi

Photo: Unsplash 18 The Counter Terrorist ~ December 2018/January 2019

Due to the recent ransomware activities, it is important to bolster your business and implement a practical cyber defense solution that can convert your business into an impenetrable fortress.

R

iding on their success of

2017, ransomware campaigns have continued their rampage in 2018. This year saw the emergence of a worrying precedent – an attack on government systems. Public operations were disrupted in Atlanta and Baltimore attacks. Likewise, in Canada the Wasaga Beach and Midland municipalities were ravaged by an onslaught of ransomware.

News on ransomware attacks on medical institutions has been another distressing recurrent theme.

The ransomware incident with

LabCorp and Singaporean Health System serve as a grim reminder of how sensitive patient data can be exposed through a single security loophole. Other than these specific targets, traditional businesses are bearing the usual brunt of ransomware too.

Hence, it is necessary that an organization must implement different practical solutions for both detecting a cyberthreat and immediately engaging in ransomware removal.

The Counter Terrorist ~ December 2018/January 2019 19

TRAINING YOUR EMPLOYEES Employees are supposed to be the weakest link in an organization.

Cybercriminals research thoroughly to examine the employees of an organization on digital spaces like social sites and other unsecure places people willfully expose them selves.

The objective behind this detailed investigation is the identification of an employee’s digital hygiene.

Digital hygiene refers to the clean use of an operating system and Internet.

Ransomware often propagates through spam email campaigns in which employees open unfamiliar emails and download malicious attachments without any proper thought process. Similarly, surfing on the vast realm of the Internet, employees often click on shady links. As a result, ransomware enters through a malicious payload, and a little mistake can go on to cripple the very foundation of the organization. Hence, it is important to educate employees and turn them into cyber soldiers against the most advanced forms of ransomware.

Education can begin with some recent examples of ransomware attacks such as the Port of San Diego, COSCO, and other popular incidents. Likewise, common ransomware distribution and infection strategies can be explained.

However, it must be noted that a mere explanation and understanding can’t do much. As the famous Chinese Proverb states: “Tell me and I’ll forget; show me

and I may remember; involve me and I’ll understand.”

Employees can “learn” through some experimental attacks. An external or internal cybersecurity professional can implicitly test the digital hygiene of employees by implementing social engineering techniques (like the old fashion honey trap) where employees can face a spear phishing attack.

When employees become a target of such campaigns, an experiment can be used as a strong lesson for tackling any real social engineering campaign in the future.

Additionally, employees can be trained to follow certain guidelines when a ransomware locks their computer so that ransomware removal procedures can be smoothly performed.

A COMPLETE THREAT INTELLIGENCE SOLUTION Although employees may follow the security guidelines of your organization wholeheartedly, ransomware is still cunning enough to trick them. Hence, the development of a threat intelligence solution can be extremely useful for ransomware removal. Some of the components that a threat intelligence solution can include: • Vulnerability Prioritization – An organization can face several security risks at a time. Is it fair to categorize the impact of each risk as an equal threat? Vulnerability prioritization ensures that the most dangerous of ransomware can be dealt with immediately.

Photo: Unsplash 20 The Counter Terrorist ~ December 2018/January 2019

• Brand Monitoring – Brand monitoring assists in the research of the organization on all digital channels. This can include searching social media platforms where a disgruntled former IT employee may be found harboring malicious intentions. Likewise, brand monitoring can also be used to assess an organization’s presence on the dark web –– a common breeding ground for cybercriminals.

Sometimes, details of companies are floated around the dark web where a ransomware job can be assigned to a cybercriminal group.

• Modern Anti-Ransomware Tools – Quality anti-ransomware tools must be installed. Anti-ransomware tools have undergone a massive paradigm shift. Modern solutions employ the use of AI and Machine Learning for detection. What this means is that such tools “learn” patterns from worldwide attacks and “remember” their own experiences with a malware. As a result, when a common ransomware attempts to infect a PC, its pattern is quickly identified and detected by the solution, and authorities are alerted at the right time.

Likewise, security measures such as user behavior analytics, SEG, SIEM, SWG, and DDoS protection can also be employed in a threat intelligence solution.

PATCHING AND UPDATING India remains one of the favorite countries for ransomware attacks.

A recent survey found more than two-thirds of Indian businesses are battling ransomware attacks. One of the prime reasons behind this victimization is the use of outdated Windows operating systems.

The problem is not limited to India. It is baffling to note that a considerable segment of worldwide PCs –– especially those in governmental institutions –– do not regularly update their Windows environments. Ransomware attacks are often designed to exploit vulnerabilities in the Windows OS. Many businesses still use the old Windows XP, which is no longer supported by Windows to receive security updates.

Patching and updating should not be limited to the OS level.

Application software also requires frequent maintenance.

Cybercriminals single out the most common software and attempt the exploitation of any possible vulnerability by attacking outdated versions.

Updates must be performed weekly or fortnightly so that an organization’s system and application software can be analyzed and secured from any cyber disaster.

“An external or internal cybersecurity professional can implicitly test the digital hygiene of employees by implementing social engineering techniques (like the old fashion honey trap) where employees can face a spear phishing attack. ”

The Counter Terrorist ~ December 2018/January 2019 21

THE MACROS CONUNDRUM

BACKUPS ARE YOUR FRIEND

When file attachments are distributed via a ransomware campaign in emails, these files have an Excel or Word document where the “macros” option is turned on.

Macros are utilized for achieving business productivity in which mouse or keyboard actions are repeated for routine tasks. However, this option has become a favorite exploitation tool for hackers.

Macros-enabled files communicate with system tools such as PowerShell and run scripts that enable hackers to gain control of the system.

Windows Registry Keys can be modified; subsequently, security tools can also be turned off. Contact is established with the Command and Control Center of the cybercriminals; encryption and other ransomware operations follow soon.

Modern Microsoft Office versions do contain better security features to escape such exploitations. This can be done through the “Disable all macros except digitally signed macros” settings. This may include repercussions because sometimes genuine documents do not have digital signed macros. For this purpose, it can be ensured that ALL the stakeholders related to the business can be taken into confidence and are advised to add macro-related features so that business productivity is not affected.

Traditionally, robbers and thieves used to break into an organization for money. Today, as organizations have flocked to the digital space, “data” has replaced money and become a priceless asset.

Cybercriminals do not hunt companies for their money; it is their data that holds the key to the ransom amount. Depending upon the sensitivity of the data’s contents, a ransom amount can fluctuate between a mere $100 to a $50,000 ransom. In fact, the notorious SamSam Ransomware was once able to earn $64,000 from a victim.

However, with the adoption of backups in the scene, cybercriminals have begun to be neutralized. A backup can be stored on: • An onsite location where it is stored on the organization’s primary premises.

• An offsite location where it is stored at a separate location.

• A cloud provider’s servers where the provider ensures data protection.

However, one thing must be ensured: There must be a single backup device that is not connected to the Internet and network of the company so that cybercriminals cannot gain access to it.

22 The Counter Terrorist ~ December 2018/January 2019

“Cybercriminals do not hunt companies for their money; it is their data that holds the key to the ransom amount.”

FINAL THOUGHTS

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Robert Mueller, FBI Director, once said: "I am convinced that there are only two types of companies: those that have been hacked and those that will be.

And even they are converging into one category: companies that have been hacked and will be hacked again."

Mueller’s words should not be taken lightheartedly. Due to the recent ransomware activities, it is important to bolster your business and implement a practical cyber defense solution that can convert your business into an impenetrable fortress. You may have to invest a few resources, but such measures can stave off financial, legal, and reputational losses.

An ethical hacker, countercyberterrorism expert, ransomware recovery expert, former IT security intelligence officer for the Israeli military, and current CEO of MonsterCloud, Zohar is a leader in opening the cloud computing and VOIP solutions for the SMB Market.

Zohar has 25+ years of experience with cyber security and enterprise IT platforms . A leader in the fastmoving technology industry trend of cloud services, Zohar has spent the past 8 years evangelizing for small- and medium-sized businesses to shift to the cloud. A calculated risk taker with deep tech industry knowledge, he continues to champion cloud services to his enterprise and consumer customers.

Photo by: Unsplash The Counter Terrorist ~ December 2018/January 2019 23

UNDERSTANDING THE DECISION CYCLE OODA LOOPS

By Editorial Staff

24 The Counter Terrorist ~ December 2018/January 2019

Photo by: Samuel Shavers

Whether it's looking out for the next big opportunity, making a move before your competitors do, or assessing the current state of affairs, you often need to be sharp sighted and decisive.

H

as it ever struck you just

how many military terms have become everyday terms in business-speak? As well as "fighting off threats" or "engaging in a price war", we talk about "gathering intelligence," "making a preemptive strike," and even trying to "outmaneuver" the competition.

War and business are often compared and contrasted. And it's fun to read books like The Art of War, written in sixth century China

by Sun Tzu, and to think about how these can be applied to business strategy!

The Counter Terrorist ~ December 2018/January 2019 25

So, when former US Air Force Colonel John Boyd developed his model for decision making in air combat, its potential application to business soon became apparent.

Boyd developed his model after analyzing the success of the American F-86 fighter plane compared with that of the Soviet MIG-15. Although the MIG was faster and could turn better, the American plane won more battles because, according to Boyd, the pilot's field of vision was far superior.

This improved field of vision gave the pilot a clear competitive advantage because it meant he could assess the situation better and faster than his opponent. As a result, he could out-maneuver the enemy

pilot, who would be put off balance, wouldn't know what to expect, and would start making mistakes.

Success in business often comes from being one step ahead of the competition and, at the same time, being prepared to react to what they do. With global, real-time communication, ongoing rapid improvements in information technology, and economic turbulence, we all need to keep updating and revising our strategies to keep pace with a changing environment.

See the similarities with Boyd's observations? Brought together in his model, they can hold a useful lesson for modern business.

Understanding the Tool Called the OODA Loop, the

model outlines a four-point decision loop that supports quick, effective and proactive decision making. The four stages are: 1. OBSERVE – Collect current information from as many sources as practically possible.

2. ORIENT – Analyze this information and use it to update your current reality.

3. DECIDE – Determine a course of action.

4. ACT – Follow through on your decision.

You continue to cycle through the OODA Loop by observing the results of your actions, seeing whether you've achieved the results you intended, reviewing and revising your initial decision, and moving to your next action.

Photo: Unsplash 26 The Counter Terrorist ~ December 2018/January 2019

Figure 1 shows the OODA Loop sequence: Observing and orienting correctly are key to a successful decision.

If these steps are flawed, they'll lead you to a flawed decision and a flawed subsequent action. So while speed is important, so too is improving your analytical skills and being able to see what's really happening.

The OODA Loop model is closely related to Plan Do Check Act. Both highlight the importance of analyzing a situation accurately, checking that your actions are having the intended results, and making changes as needed.

Let's look more closely at what each stage involves:

STAGE 1. OBSERVE At this initial point in the loop, you should be on the lookout for new information and need to be aware of unfolding circumstances.

The more information you can take in here, the more accurate your perception will be. Like an F-86 pilot with a wide field of vision, you want to capture as much incoming data as possible. The questions you need to be asking are: • What's happening in the environment that directly affects me?

• What's happening that indirectly affects me?

• What's happening that may have residual affects later on?

• Were my predictions accurate?

• Are there any areas where prediction and reality differ significantly?

Figure 1: The OODA Cycle

Observe

Feed Forward

Orient

Feed Forward

Decide

Feed Forward

Act

Feedback

STAGE 2. ORIENT One of the main problems with decision making comes at the Orient stage: we all view events in a way that's filtered through our own experiences and perceptions. Boyd identified five main influences: • Cultural traditions • Genetic heritage • The ability to analyze and synthesize • Previous experience • New information coming in Orientation is essentially how you interpret a situation. This then leads directly to your decision.

The argument here is that by becoming more aware of your perceptions and by speeding up your ability to orient to reality, you can move through the decision loop quickly and effectively. The quicker you understand what's going on, the better. And if you can make sense of the situation and the environment around you faster than

your competition, you'll have an advantage.

And it's important to remember that you're constantly reorienting.

As new information comes in at the Observe stage, you need to process it quickly and revise your orientation accordingly.

STAGE 3. DECIDE Decisions are really your best guesses based on the observations you've made and the orientation you're using. As such, they should be considered to be fluid works in progress. As you keep on cycling through the OODA Loop and new suggestions keep arriving, these can trigger changes to your decisions and subsequent actions – essentially, you're learning as you continue to cycle through the steps. The results of your learning are brought in during the Orient phase, which in turn influences the rest of the decision-making process.

The Counter Terrorist ~ December 2018/January 2019 27

STAGE 4. ACT

USING THE MODEL

The Act stage is where you implement your decision. You then cycle back to the Observe stage as you judge the effects of your action.

This is where actions influence the rest of the cycle, and it's important to keep learning from what you, and your opponents, are doing.

The OODA Loop isn't meant to be a static, linear "do this, then this, then this" type model: it needs to be a smoother, more continual process. With this approach, the faster you can move through each stage the better. In fact, if you were to sit down and map out each step, your decisions would likely slow down instead of speed up.

The goal of the model is to increase the speed with which you orient and reorient based on new information coming in. You want to be able to make a smooth and direct transition between what you observe, how you interpret it, and what you do about it.

When you make these transitions rapidly, you're in a position to be proactive, and you can take advantage of opportunities your competition isn't even aware of yet. Boyd calls this "operating within your opponent's OODA Loop." Here, your competitor is moving too slowly and simply reacting to environmental changes.

"You want to be able to make a smooth and direct transition between what you observe, how you interpret it, and what you do about it."

By contrast, you're working on the offensive, making strikes and forcing them to react to you.

TIP: Be careful with this emphasis on speed. In some situations, you genuinely need it. In others, a more cautious, deliberate approach is appropriate. This is likely to be affected by things like the length of product cycle times, the rate of change in your industry, and the consequences of a poor decision.

KEY POINTS: Whether it's looking out for the next big opportunity, making a move before your competitors do, or assessing the current state of affairs, you often need to be sharp sighted and decisive. The OODA Loop gives you a great way to maintain this vigilance and be proactive in a rapidly changing world. By using the OODA Loop, you can be nimble in your decision making and make changes to your decisions and strategy quickly and decisively.

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28 The Counter Terrorist ~ December 2018/January 2019

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BOOK REVIEW

Reliance of the Traveller

By Ahmad ibn Naqib al-Misri Translated by Shaykh Nuh Ha Reviewed by Friedrich Seiltgen Mim Keller

R

eliance of the Traveller is a must read for anyone who studies Islam. This volume is a classic manual of Islamic jurisprudence (fiqh), or interpretation of sharia law.

Although written in the 14th century, Reliance of the Traveller was first translated into English in 1991 by American Muslim convert Shaykh Nuh Ha Mim Keller. Keller’s translation was the first translated Islamic legal reference to be certified by Al-Azhar University in Cairo, Egypt. The university is Egypt’s oldest, with over 4,000 affiliated institutions. Al-Azhar states that Keller’s translation is “conforming to the faith and practice of the orthodox Sunni community.” Al-Azhar’s certification is important in that there is no higher authority on Sunni Islamic doctrine.

Keller’s translation of Reliance of the Traveller is easier to read than the Quran, and it has not been as abridged as the Quran. The book itself is of very high quality, and even at 1,232 pages, it is surely undervalued. The cheapest price I found was $55.

Reliance of the Traveller is divided into 26 books, labeled A through Z, with the original Arabic text on one page and the English translation on the facing

page. It covers a multitude of topics, such as the proper procedures to go to the bathroom, female genital mutilation, and payment of the jizya, or the tax historically placed on non-Muslim people living in lands under Muslim rule. Most notably, Chapter 9, verse 8 of Book O states the following: The caliph makes war upon Jews, Christians, and Zoroastrians provided he has first invited them to enter Islam in faith and practice, and if they will not, then invited them to enter the social order of Islam by paying the non-Muslim poll tax…

This description of jihad should be of concern to all non-Muslims. Found in

34 The Counter Terrorist ~ December 2018/January 2019

a section discussing issues of justice, it emphasizes Islam’s superiority over all other religions and calls for war against all nonbelievers.

Many imams will attack non-Muslims who use Reliance on the Traveller to support their positions on Islam.

Muslim scholars will claim that this book does not refute the Quran, because the Quran cannot be translated properly into English or any other language.

That argument is moot, as the majority of the world’s Muslims do not speak Arabic. Go to any bookstore and you will see the Quran translated into many languages. Also, given that Reliance on the Traveller is certified by Al-Azhar, its pages have the blessing of the Islamic community.

In closing, Reliance of the Traveller is a must-have reference. Whether you are a counter-jihadist using the book to refute the claims of radical Islamic scholars or just a non-Muslim who wishes to learn about Islam and the threat of sharia law, this book will give you something to think about—namely: Is Islam a religion, or is it an ideology that is incompatible with any other religion or with Western civilization?

NCT Sur América A Vision of IB Consultancy

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The Brazilian Armed Forces will kick off the event with a live CBRNe capability demonstration followed by a Static Display highlighting their current CBRNe and C-IED capabilities. The conference stream will address topics related to High Visibility Events (HVEs), regional cooperation in South America, training for the response to CBRNe and EOD threats in Latin America, UXO challenges, and much more!

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The Counter Terrorist ~ December 2018/January 2019 35

ADVERTISER INDEX

Counter The

DECEMBER 2018/JANUARY 2019 VOLUME 11 • NUMBER 6

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