Islamic State of Iraq and Syria Cyber Communication Techniques

This research is an overview of the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) (often interchangeably called Islamic State of Iraq and Syria) terrorist organization and its methods used to communicate and market their ideology. ISIS has taken unusual steps to overtly communicate their acts of terror and genocide on the Internet. The terrorist organization has used communications channels to market themselves to like-minded followers. The same channels are used to instill fear in their adversaries and sow discord among governments internationally. ISIS is using covert channels to plan and conduct horrific terrorist attacks. Ultimately, ISIS’s communication methods and data keeping methods have contributed to their demise.

This research will refer to the organization as the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria or the acronym ISIS.

Keywords: Cyberterrorism, caliphate, covert communications, ISIS, ISIL, terrorism