Along with Russian and Chinese hackers, jihadists like Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) are the major perpetrators of cybercrime in the world today, says American cyber security expert Dr Darren Hayes.
He was the feature speaker at a seminar hosted by the Institute of Internal Auditors and the Trinidad and Tobago Chapter of the Association of Chartered Certified Accountant (ACCA) and the British Caribbean Chamber of Commerce. It was held at the Arthur Lok Jack Graduate School of Business yesterday.
He is regarded as a leading expert in the field of digital forensics and cyber security and is the director of Cybersecurity and assistant Prof at Pace University, New York.
In respect to terrorism in T&T, Hayes focused on the Jamaat-al-Muslimeen, saying they had 20,000 members and had confirmed links to al-Qaeda.
"Islamic fundamentalists have understood for many years the importance of the Internet for spreading their message," he said.
ISIS, he noted, had even written their own encryption protocol. Hayes blamed that development to former Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) contractor Edward Snowden, who had leaked confidential documents from America's National Security Agency showing the extent the US spied even on its allies, for that.
"Snowden taught the bad guys that they needed to improve their encryption. That's the bottom line," he said.
ISIS was actively recruiting hackers and other technology experts, Hayes said, noting that jihadist leaders "are very often well-educated, have lived in the West and only became radicalised later in life."
He added: "ISIS is a very structured entity, almost like a country. They even have a Minister of Energy."
In his general overview of cybercrime around the world, Hayes said China was responsible for 96 per cent of State-sponsored hacking.
T&T, he said, was not exempt from such threats with cybertheft, online fraud, terrorism, network and energy sector breaches being the main areas to focus on. He also noted the new threat of drones, with Mexican drug dealers now using these unmanned craft to deliver their shipments.
"Cyber security needs to be taught at the university level here," Hayes recommended, "so the country can have people locally to protect against these future threats."
