From Al-Qaeda to the Islamic State (ISIS), Jihadi Groups Engage in Cyber Jihad: From 1980s Promotion of Use of Electronic Technologies to Today's Embrace of Social Media to Attract a New Jihadi Generation

A landmark study of jihadi use of the Internet that should be ready by everyone in Washington

This report by the Middle East Research Institute (MEMRI) documents jihadi use of the Internet, from Al-Qaeda’s and other groups’ earliest websites and forums in the 1980s to what we see today with the Islamic State: highly professional video productions and widespread presence on social media that are integral for recruiting and training the next generation of jihadists. The study is a vital contribution to understanding this phenomenon, and even more importantly in discussing possible ways of countering it.

The study chronicles:

• Al-Qaeda’s earliest cyber activity
• the emergence of the main Al-Qaeda websites and forums
• their development into providers of training for hacking, spreading viruses, and other forms of cyber attacks
• statements by Al-Qaeda leadership on the importance of cyber jihad
• the major shift in online jihad from jihadi forums to Western social media, now depended upon by jihadis for outreach efforts in Syrian and Iraqi conflicts
• the nearly decade-long lapse since the U.S. government pledged to deny terrorists use of the Internet, while jihadi activity in cyberspace has grown
• the younger, more savvy generation of Al-Qaeda activists led by the Islamic State today
• the adoption of every emerging technology and social media platform as weapons that maketheir content viewable anywhere, anytime
• the hacking of financial institutions and individuals

This landmark study sheds light on a hugely important phenomenon that should be read today by:

• the Department of Homeland Security
• legislators on Capitol Hill
• the Pentagon cyber force
• those in academia studying the cyber realm

Find out the latest research by the Middle East Media Research Institute (MEMRI).