British security services jammed ISIS drones as part of an operation against the terrorist group, the chief of the UK's surveillance service said.
Operatives in Syria and Iraq blocked the extremists' communications during firefights by disrupting their mobile phone signals.
It is the first time that British authorities revealed the use of "offensive cyber" methods in operations against the extremists.
"When adversaries like Daesh overstep the line, then they need to expect us to contest it [in cyber space] too," Jeremy Fleming, director of Government Communications Headquarters (GCHQ), said, using a pejorative Arabic term for the extremists.
We piloted some early technologies to disrupt ISIS's use of some pretty basic drone technology which was causing us a problem
British special forces and GCHQ operatives were sent to support the Iraqi military and Syrian Democratic fighters against ISIS by using drones.
“We piloted some early technologies to disrupt ISIS’s use of some pretty basic drone technology which was causing us a problem,” he told Sky News.
“We used cyber techniques to affect how a drone operated.”
The British operation also allowed containment of ISIS propaganda. Social media accounts were blocked, computers hacked and databases destroyed.
The number of violent terrorist videos, which were used for recruiting, was heavily reduced.
“We prevented their propaganda, both through physical actions on the battlefield but also remotely getting to … the places that they stored their material,” Mr Fleming said.
In addition, British operatives targeted ISIS devices such as mobile phones and laptops to prevent them from sending and receiving orders. Frontline fighters were misdirected.
A senior military official suggested that some ISIS troops became so demoralised after being cut off from their headquarters that they dropped their weapons and fled the battlefield.
"We wanted to ensure that when they tried to co-ordinate attacks on our forces, their devices didn't work, that they couldn't trust the orders that were coming to them from their seniors," the UK’s head of strategic command, Gen Sir Patrick Sanders, said.
"We wanted to deceive them and to misdirect them, to make them less effective, less cohesive and sap their morale.
“But you can't just do that in cyber space. You have to co-ordinate and integrate that with activities that are going on the ground, whether it's from our own forces, special forces and others."
Mr Fleming said coalition forces used the element of surprise by disrupting ISIS battlefield communications from 2016 onwards.
The success of the counter cyber operation led to Britain setting up the National Cyber Force, which is run jointly by GCHQ, the armed forces, and MI6, its foreign intelligence service.
The force not only targets terrorist groups such as ISIS, but also internet espionage by countries such as Russia and China.
Mr Fleming declined to say how offensive operations had been used against other states but said it was “available to governments to use in that context”.
The bio
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Role Models: Mark Zuckerberg and Elon Musk
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Where to donate in the UAE
The Emirates Charity Portal
You can donate to several registered charities through a “donation catalogue”. The use of the donation is quite specific, such as buying a fan for a poor family in Niger for Dh130.
The General Authority of Islamic Affairs & Endowments
The site has an e-donation service accepting debit card, credit card or e-Dirham, an electronic payment tool developed by the Ministry of Finance and First Abu Dhabi Bank.
Al Noor Special Needs Centre
You can donate online or order Smiles n’ Stuff products handcrafted by Al Noor students. The centre publishes a wish list of extras needed, starting at Dh500.
Beit Al Khair Society
Beit Al Khair Society has the motto “From – and to – the UAE,” with donations going towards the neediest in the country. Its website has a list of physical donation sites, but people can also contribute money by SMS, bank transfer and through the hotline 800-22554.
Dar Al Ber Society
Dar Al Ber Society, which has charity projects in 39 countries, accept cash payments, money transfers or SMS donations. Its donation hotline is 800-79.
Dubai Cares
Dubai Cares provides several options for individuals and companies to donate, including online, through banks, at retail outlets, via phone and by purchasing Dubai Cares branded merchandise. It is currently running a campaign called Bookings 2030, which allows people to help change the future of six underprivileged children and young people.
Emirates Airline Foundation
Those who travel on Emirates have undoubtedly seen the little donation envelopes in the seat pockets. But the foundation also accepts donations online and in the form of Skywards Miles. Donated miles are used to sponsor travel for doctors, surgeons, engineers and other professionals volunteering on humanitarian missions around the world.
Emirates Red Crescent
On the Emirates Red Crescent website you can choose between 35 different purposes for your donation, such as providing food for fasters, supporting debtors and contributing to a refugee women fund. It also has a list of bank accounts for each donation type.
Gulf for Good
Gulf for Good raises funds for partner charity projects through challenges, like climbing Kilimanjaro and cycling through Thailand. This year’s projects are in partnership with Street Child Nepal, Larchfield Kids, the Foundation for African Empowerment and SOS Children's Villages. Since 2001, the organisation has raised more than $3.5 million (Dh12.8m) in support of over 50 children’s charities.
Noor Dubai Foundation
Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum launched the Noor Dubai Foundation a decade ago with the aim of eliminating all forms of preventable blindness globally. You can donate Dh50 to support mobile eye camps by texting the word “Noor” to 4565 (Etisalat) or 4849 (du).
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