Today I have interviewed Watcher one of the hackers belonging to # GhostSec that fights IS propaganda online.

GhostWatcher participated in various hacking campaigns, including # OpISIS and # OpPedoHunt.

Enjoy the Interview.

You are a talented hacker that has already participated in several hacking campaigns, could you tell me more about.

I never refer to myself as a talented hacker. Mostly because some of my best friends are the top ethical hackers in the world. Looking at their Twitter profiles you wouldn’t even know they hack. They describe themselves as:

just a guy on the internet

just a dude that found a hobby he really likes

just another geek

These are mentors and friends that I really respect. So, my feeling is that talented hackers don’t talk about it.

Could you tell me which his your technical background and when you started hacking? Which are your motivations?

I’ve been coding in several languages for years. I’m always learning new skills and being part of a team like GhostSec provides endless learning opportunities. People are always trying to get me to say exactly what I do, usually for predatory reasons. So, I tend to keep my exact skill set to myself.

I earned my technical skills in the professional world. My education is related more to terrorism. This makes me more of an intel threat than a hacking threat. I’m most proud of the intelligence that I’ve identified as part of GhostSec. We are about saving lives, so that means more to me than anything.

My motivation is using the skills I have to make the world a better place.

What was your greatest hacking challenge? Which was your latest hack? Can you describe me it?

That’s tough because every hack is a challenge. That’s what makes it fun. The latest thing was staying up all night with a teammate looking for open ports in ISIS servers. To me, it’s much more fun to work with someone than alone. That’s odd for someone like me, I know, but everyone is different, I suppose.

What are the 4 tools that cannot be missed in the hacker’s arsenal and why?

My answers here will probably be different than most, but I believe in focusing on the fundamentals, like in baseball.

You have to have good OpSec. I run across anons that don’t even understand the term. That’s pretty scary. Protecting your anonymity is key. Linux OS. Everyone has their favorite, but just choose one and learn to use it. They all have value. Knowing how to use DDoS tools. This is a basic but important hacking skill. Social engineering is a skill no hacker should be lacking in. You can get so much more done when you’re good at SE. A lot of people think they’re better at it than they really are

Which are the most interesting hacking communities on the web today, why?

My team is my favorite resource. Anon groups and forums are also great. One of our guys put a library together for us and it is my favorite place to go for information.

Public forums, I don’t use them a lot anymore but I do like the articles on Hacking Tutorials and Hack in the Box is pretty cool. I really like the How to Geek blog. Some of their articles are really basic stuff. Great for a beginner, but also a great refresh or update for anyone.

Did you participate in hacking attacks against the IS propaganda online? When? How?

Yes. I’ve participated in attacking some terrorists with my teammates like I said. I have more fun working with someone. All of my work with GhostSec so far is part of a bigger project we’re working on behind the scenes right now, so I’ll just leave that there.

Where do you find IS people to hack? How do you choose your targets?

Social media is full of terrorist websites to hack. One thing I will say that I do is jack Twitter accounts. Since Twitter logs IPs, if the user isn’t behind a VPN, you can potentially locate and exploit their router.

As I mentioned, social engineering and intel are areas where I’m particularly strong. A good friend calls it hacking life. Same principles of finding patterns, connecting dots and looking for exploits in code. Good intel always yields good hacking opportunities.

We often hear about cyber weapons and cyber attacks against critical infrastructure. Do you believe it is real the risk of a major and lethal cyber attack against a critical infrastructure?

Absolutely. It’s not just possible, it’s happened. The Ukrainian power grid was knocked offline earlier this year, a first of its kind attack. Granted the Ukraine didn’t have the most advanced grid, but Russia proved it was possible. This is a highly disruptive type of hack that can be lethal under the right circumstances.

Thanks a lot!

Pierluigi Paganini

(Security Affairs – hackers, Watcher)

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