Security News > 2023 > June > Australian cyber-op attacked ISIL with the terrifying power of Rickrolling
The documentary, BREAKING the CODE: Cyber Secrets Revealed, reveals that the Directorate developed three payloads it could deploy to ISIL fighters' smartphones and PCs "Without ISIL having to interact with the device in any way."
The documentary describes how even that level of intervention made a difference as commanders in the field were able to request the ASD act against fighters in real time - and those fighters struggle to coordinate their defense.
In the documentary, ASD staff explain that merely forcing ISIL fighters to leave their posts to seek tech support was a win, because it reduced their effectiveness.
ASD staff slept in the office during much of the campaign, which took place during 2016's Operation Valley Wolf, during which Iraqi forces advanced on the city of Mosul and ultimately reclaimed it from ISIL. The documentary does not disclose the nature of the zero-click attacks, nor whether they were developed in-house or based on a commercial platform.
The documentary also details an ASD action against a young Australian who travelled to Afghanistan with the intent of joining the Taliban.
When the Australian was slow to act, the ASD operatives convinced him his reticence meant senior Taliban figures had become suspicious of his intentions.