Last week, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Director Christopher Wray expressed growing concerns over the potential for a coordinated foreign terrorist attack in the United States. During his testimony to the House Oversight Committee, Mr. Wray cited the ISIS-K attack on Crocus City Hall in Moscow in March as an example of the type of threat the bureau is increasingly concerned about.
The FBI is currently investigating various terrorist groups, including ISIS, al Qaeda, al Shabbab, Hezbollah, and IRGC forces. “We are increasingly concerned not just about the possibility of a foreign terrorist-inspired attack, which is already a significant concern, but also about the potential for a coordinated foreign terrorist attack” – he said.
These details are alarming to the security community and private sector, and demand a proactive approach to combat this threat, including identifying precursors to it in the cyberspace. According to assessment by Resecurity (USA), terrorist groups are increasingly using cyberspace and digital communication channels to plan and execute attacks, as well as to conduct recruitment and establish anonymous communication channels using apps like Session.
Resecurity provides intelligence, risk management and security capabilities. Their mission is to enable enterprises, national security and law enforcement agencies to combat cyber threats regardless of how sophisticated they are.
Multiple resources created by threat actors have been identified and deployed both in the surface web and the Tor network. This activity was especially notable in Q2 2024, with new resources appearing at the beginning of Q3 2024.
Besides efforts by law enforcement and public sector agencies to combat terrorism, there are many challenges on the shoulders of the private sector in managing online platforms, marketplaces, social media, and other resources. One of the key issues is tracking high-risk individuals who may misuse financial services, such as banks, e-commerce platforms, and payment networks, to engage in illegal activities, including money laundering and terrorism financing.