British intelligence agency GCHQ has acknowledged that it has conducted a successful and a major offensive cyber-campaign against Daesh (ISIS) militant group.
According to the director of GCHQ, the electronic and information intelligence arm of the UK government, an operation was conducted which hindered Daesh ability to co-ordinate attacks and suppressed its online propaganda efforts.
Director Jeremy Fleming made the revelation at a cyber security conference in Manchester:
In 2017 there were times when Daesh found it almost impossible to spread their hate online, to use their normal channels to spread their rhetoric, or spread their online publications. “This campaign shows how targeted and effective offensive cyber can be,” Fleming said.
The attack is the first time that the UK has carried out cyber-attacks against a military enemy.
Fleming did not disclose the methods used but claimed that the attacks successfully disrupted Daesh activities and destroyed their networks and equipment.
