Observing the Cyber Jihad

Postings have been random, and are likely to be erratic for the next few days as I catch up on some off line reading, however I thought I'd share a 'work' related item that has consumed a bit of our research time this week.

The Global Islamic Media Front (GIMF) has released a new version of their communication software called "The Mujahideen Secrets 2". Basically the software is an encrytion tool leveraged for securing communications between active members of the Mujahideen waging Global Jihad. Reuters has the story.

An Islamist Web site often used by al Qaeda supporters carried updated encryption software on Friday which it said would help Islamic militants communicate with greater security on the Internet.

The Mujahideen Secrets 2 was promoted as "the first Islamic program for secure communications through networks with the highest technical level of encoding".

The software, available free on the password-protected Ekhlaas.org site which often carries al Qaeda messages, is a newer version of Mujahideen Secrets issued in early 2007 by the Global Islamic Media Front, an al Qaeda-linked Web-based group.

We noticed OSINT researcher Dancho Danchev has already started digging into the tool, and he makes the same observation we did in our evaluation (although he has excellent links for more information).

With the tempting feature to embedd the encrypted message on a web page instead of sending it, a possibility that's always been there namely to use the Dark Web for secure communication tool is getting closer to reality. Knowing that trying to directly break the encryption is impractical, coming up with pragmatic ways to obtain the passphrase is what government funded malware coders are trying to figure out.

If you are looking for some background on the electronic jihad world, MEMRI had an easy to follow summery from last year designed to inform non technical folks of the emerging cyber jihad forces and techniques. While there is little difference in the techniques of the electronic jihad and most non jihad hacker organizations, however we note there is notable difference in intent.

Lockheed Martin Pushing MK41 For India

With the news out of India still indicating rifts between Russia and India over defense contracts, it appears Lockheed Martin is making a move set up an industrial base for Indian Defense projects they intend to bid. While the fighter replacement program is the big catch, the Project 17 stealth frigate project is on Lockheed Martins radar for its MMC version of the Littoral Combat Ship. According to todays headline, the joint ventures are beginning.

India’s defence shield is getting sharper. US arms major Lockheed Martin is in talks with engineering and construction firm Larsen & Toubro (L&T) for formalising a joint venture (JV), which would jointly develop Mark 41 Vertical Launching Systems (MK 41 VLS) in India.

“Co-developing MK 41 VLS will be a further extension of our existing relationship with L&T. As of now, talks are at a very initial stage,” a senior Lockheed Martin official told ET. The MK 41 VLS is considered to be the most advanced ship-borne missile launching system in the world.

Lockheed Martin has a very good chance of getting the Project 17 contract. Both Israel and India are interested in the LCS, and both are expected to utilize the Barak missile system in the MK41 if they choose the Lockheed Martin version of the LCS.

For its size, the Lockheed Martin Multi-Mission Combatant version of the Littoral Combat Ship may end up being one of the best armed small warships ton for ton in the world. The Barak missile is smaller than the ESSM, and it may be able to be multi-packed in strike length MK41 VLS cells. I'd be interested if anyone knows for sure if that is possible, or being planned.

Reminders From The Cold War

In case you haven't heard, which means you probably haven't been observing the news from Russia, the Russian Fleet is concluding the largest naval demonstrations of firepower in the last 15 years. The naval forces of the exercise are centered on the Russian aircraft carrier Admiral Kuznetsov, 2 Udoloy destroyers Admiral Levchenko (DDG 605) and Admiral Chabanenko (DDG 650), and the Black Sea flagship Moskva (CG 121), a Slava class guided-missile cruiser, and 7 auxiliary vessels. The aviation elements of the exercise included Tu-160s, Tu-95s, Tu-22 M3s, Il-78s, and A-50s.

Among the various details the Russians told the media, the Moskva (CG 121) launched the P-500 Bazalt (NATO reporting name SS-N-12 Sandbox), a liquid-propellant supersonic cruise missile, last reportedly tested in 2003. The P-500 Bazalt, which entered service in 1973, has a 550 km range and a payload of 1,000 kg, enabling it to carry nuclear or a high explosive conventional warhead.

The Moskva (CG 121) was originally named the Slava, but was renamed in 1995. It is common practice in the Russian Navy to rename ships, often for no apparent rhyme or reason. Laid down in 1976, the Moskva (ex Slava) like many first in class was delayed in delivery until 1979, and was not commissioned until 1983. When the Soviet Union collapsed, the Moskva (CG 121) was in refit in the Nikolayev yard where she was built. The refit was not completed until late 1998 when the ship was sent to replace the Admiral Golovko as the flagship of the Black Sea fleet.

The Admiral Levchenko (DDG 605), a Udaloy I class destroyer, was laid down in 1985 and commissioned in 1988. The Admiral Kuznetsov was laid down in 1983, launched in 1985, but was not commissioned until 1991 although was not considered fully operational until 1995. All 7 auxiliary vessels that accompanied the task force were ordered, built, and launched during the cold war.

Even the Admiral Chabanenko (DDG 650), a Udaloy II destroyer, was laid down in 1989, but she (or he in the Russian Masculine vernacular) was under construction when the Soviet Union collapsed. Finally launched in 1995, the Admiral Chabanenko (DDG 650) was not commissioned until 1999 and was in fact the last surface ship laid down during the cold war to be built and commissioned. If there has been a workhorse of the Russian Navy over the last several years, the Admiral Chabanenko (DDG 650) would qualify, which makes perfect sense as the destroyer is the largest surface warship built by Russian in the last 2 decades.

While a two month deployment through the North Atlantic and Mediterranean Sea may not seem like much, with the exception of the Moskva (CG 121), this deployment represents the largest and most successful deployment for the the other three combatants involved, including the Admiral Kuznetsov. To deploy the 4 warships and 7 support ships for just two months, the Russian Navy had to pull from the Northern, Black, and Baltic fleets just to provide the maximum power projection capability of the Russian Navy.

While the Task Force will return home to Russia under praise and accolades, the reality is this naval group represents the high end of power projection for the Russian Navy over next several years. With that in mind, we note the absence of news usually associated with US, French, and NATO submarines that usually make regular port visits in Europe during scheduled patrols, particularly during holidays, which implies the Russian task force deployment has likely been a very successful deployment for the US, France, and NATO as well.

As the Admiral Kuznetsov task force turns north to return to Russia, the Russian ships will pass large naval strike gruops on the way home. The Moskva (CG 121) and Black Sea fleet escorts will pass the Kearsarge ESG as it returns home to the US east coast, while the Admiral Kuznetsov and Northern fleet and Baltic fleet escorts will pass another relic of the cold war, the large peacetime international carrier strike group. The Orion 08 deployment began yesterday, and while one international naval force has nothing to do with the Russian naval force, the Orion 08 deployment unlike any other major naval strike group in recent memory is a cold war reminder all its own.

Without any effect to other naval operations of each respective nation, the HMS Illustrious (R06), HMS Edinburgh (D97), HMS Westminster (F237), HMS Trafalgar (S107), HMS Atherstone (M38), HMS Chiddingfold (M37), RFA Wave Knight (A389), USS Cole (DDG 67), FS Jean Bart (D615), FS Surcouf (F 711), and SPS Mendez Nunez (F104) combine to form a naval force rarely seen in the North Atlantic since the days of the Soviet Union. For all the belligerent rattling of sabers the Russian Navy has done during its deployment off Europe, we can't help but observe the last chapter in the Russian deployment involves a not so subtle reminder of naval strength for the Russian Navy by the combined naval forces United Kingdom, France, Spain, and United States.

More naval observations on the recent Russian exercises by SteelJaw Scribe here and here, and Spook86 has some thoughts on the aviation aspect of the recent Russian activities.

Russian Navy Time Travel with RIA Novosti

Anyone notice something wrong with this story? Observe the same problem in the Russian version of the story as well.

An interesting visual reminder of how long it has been for the Russian Navy to make a headline. It is good to know the Russian press is just as ignorant to military affairs as the US press.

For those who are trying the Google Translator looking for clues, the image is the clue. The Russian press is running a picture of a Project 1123 Kondor, Moskva class helicopter carrier built in the 1960s, not the cruiser formally known as the Slava renamed the Moskva (CG 121) in 1995. The Moskva pictured above, the former flagship of the Black Sea, was scrapped in 1997.

7th Fleet Focus: The Nimitz Deployment

I have been reading some speculate on the recent Nimitz Carrier Strike Group deployment, trying to find something in the tea leaves to explain a 4 month deployment instead of the usual 6 month. In reality, it is basically the exact same deployment the USS Ronald Reagan (CVN 76) had last year, meaning we can expect the Nimitz CSG to participate in similar activities like Foal Eagle 2008.

While some are speculating this might have something to do with the upcoming elections in Taiwan, I don't think one has much to do with the other. The Nimitz Strike Group is composed as follows:

USS Nimitz (CVN 68)
USS Princeton (CG 59)
USS John Paul Jones (DDG 53)
USS Higgins (DDG 76)
USS Chafee (DDG 90)

This looks a lot like a strike group more likely to hang around Japan and South Korea than Chiina and Taiwan, but that is just one persons observation.