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derStandard.at | WebStandard | Netzpolitik
17.09.2008 09:57
US-Geheimdienst: Mit World of Warcraft können Anschläge geplant werdenDie US-amerikanischen Geheimdienste scheinen immer besorgter, dass Terroristen, allen voran natürlich Osama bin Laden, die "Vorzüge" virtuellen Welten für reale Angriffe ausnutzen könnten. Das Internet als Kommunikationsplattform - auch von Terroristen - ist schon lange ein Thema. Nun haben die US-Geheimdienste aber eine neue Bedrohung geortet - die Online-Rollenspiele.
Terror auf Basis von Warcraft
Bis dato wurde in den Gremien des Pentagon viel darüber geredet, aber wenig konkretes präsentiert. Nun haben ExpertInnen und WissenschaftlerInnen allerdings eine anschauliche Demonstration des terroristischen Bedrohungsszenarios in den Online-Rollenspielen vorgelegt. Als Basis der Überlegungen dient dabei das bekannte "World of Warcraft".
Codierte Befehle und genaue Karte
Über Online-Rollenspiele könnten sich die TerroristInnen ungehindert verständigen, austauschen und kommunizieren, wie auch einen Anschläg detailliert planen. Zu Demonstrationszwecken wurde eine Karte von Washington, DC in WoW integriert und ein normaler Chat-Dialog zwischen SpielerInnen beziehungsweise potenziellen TerroristInnen hinterlegt. Da die Zugänge anonym seien, wäre es nicht möglich die KommunikationsteilnehmerInnen rasch auszuforschen. Zudem würden codierte Befehle zusätzliche Schwierigkeiten bringen. Die AgentInnen hätten zudem Probleme mit den WoW-Dialekt zu interpretieren, so die Warnung der ExpertInnen.
Eindrucksvolle Präsentation
Wie das US-Magazin Wired: Pentagon Researcher Conjures Warcraft Terror Plot meldet, stellte der "Director of National Intelligence Open Source Conference" in Washington, Dr. Dwight Toavs, ein Professor der National Defense University, das Online-Rollenspiel-Bedrohungsszenario näher vor und legte dar, wie sich die TerroristInnen mit gängigen WoW-Ausdrücken und geographischen Angaben aus der virtuellen Welt zu einem Angriff auf das Weiße Haus formieren könnten. Die US-Geheimdienste verfolgen mit dem Projekt "Reynard" das Ziel, das Entstehen von sozialen und terroristischen Dynamiken in virtuellen Welten und Online-Rollenspielen von normalem Verhalten unterscheiden zu können. So wollen die Geheimdienste normales Verhalten in virtuellen Welten erkennen und dadurch automatisch verdächtiges Verhalten identifizieren können.(red)
Link
Wired: Pentagon Researcher Conjures Warcraft Terror Plot
http://blog.wired.com/defense/2008/09/world-of-warcra.html© derStandard.at
2008
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Pentagon Researcher Conjures Warcraft Terror Plot
By Noah Shachtman September 15, 2008 | 7:22:00 PMCategories: Cloak and Dagger, T is for Terror, Terror Tech, Training and Sims
The American military and intelligence communities are increasingly worried that would-be bin Ladens might gather in a virtual world, to plan a real-life attack. But the spies haven't given many details, about how it might be done. Now, a Pentagon researcher has laid out how such a terror plot might unfold. The planning ground is World of Warcraft. The main target of this possibly nuclear strike: the White House.
There's been no public proof to date of terrorists hatching plots in virtual worlds. But online spaces like World of Warcraft are making some spooks, generals and Congressmen extremely nervous. They imagine terrorists rehearsing attacks in these worlds, just like the U.S. military trains with commercial shoot-em-up games. They worry that the massively multiplayer games make it incredibly easy to gather plotters from around the world. But, mostly, virtual worlds are nerve-wracking to spies because they're so hard to monitor. The accounts are pseudonymous. The access is global. The jargon is thick. And most of the spy agencies' employees aren't exactly level-70 shamans.
In a presentation late last week at the Director of National Intelligence Open Source Conference in Washington, Dr. Dwight Toavs, a professor at the Pentagon-funded National Defense University, gave a bit of a primer on virtual worlds to an audience largely ignorant about what happens in these online spaces. Then he launched into a scenario, to demonstrate how a meatspace plot might be hidden by in-game chatter.
In it, two World of Warcraft players discuss a raid on the "White Keep" inside the "Stonetalon Mountains." The major objective is to set off a "Dragon Fire spell" inside, and make off with "110 Gold and 234 Silver" in treasure. "No one will dance there for a hundred years after this spell is cast," one player, "war_monger," crows.
Except, in this case, the White Keep is at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue. "Dragon Fire" is an unconventional weapon. And "110 Gold and 234 Silver" tells the plotters how to align the game's map with one of Washington, D.C.
The fictional plot was originally developed by Dan Arey, for the Director of National Intelligence's Summer Hard Problems workshop, or SHARP. And its details are a little fuzzy. The terminology doesn't match World of Warcraft lingo, all that precisely. There is no "White Keep" in World of Warcraft; "Dragon Fire" is a spell in EverQuest, the old-school role-playing game, not WoW. But the banter is reminiscent enough of World of Warcraft talk, to give outsiders an idea of how such a conversation might go down -- and how hard it would be to identify.
Steven Aftergood, the Federation of the American Scientists analyst who's been following the intelligence community for years, wonders how realistic these sorts of scenarios are, really. "This concern is out there. But it has to be viewed in context. It's the job of intelligence agencies to anticipate threats and counter them. With that orientation, they're always going to give more weight to a particular scenario than an objective analysis would allow," he tells Danger Room. "
Could terrorists use Second Life? Sure, they can use anything. But is it a significant augmentation? That's not obvious. It's a scenario that an intelligence officer is duty-bound to consider. That's all."
Toavs, for one, believes that spies will have to spend more time in virtual worlds like WoW, if they want to have a hope of keeping tabs on what goes on inside 'em. Which means, some day soon, we might find secret agents in World of Warcraft, along with the druids and orcs and night elves.
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This is absurd. Strategy and planning came well before computers. Can computers now be used to coordinate attacks? YES. So can a lot of other technologies. They're much more likely to discover a terror plot other ways, than this. MAYBE some terrorists would try and blend in, but this really is extreme. How would they gain the ability to differentiate anyhow? The plotters would have had to agree off-line or in another forum on-line, what the "codewords" meant ahead of time any how, or they would have a record on-line (the "blue gem" actually means X weapon for example). So, I don't see any usefulness here, except as a conceptual model to investigate, a thought-process, to help think about HOW this might be done (coordinate an attack on-line).Possible? YES. Useful to explore? Limited at best.
Posted by: Philopoemen | Sep 15, 2008 4:38:52 PM
Really? Do we have to be afraid of everything? Are there threats everywhere? Are people really paid to think up this complete drivel?
What happened to my country?
Posted by: bigfoot | Sep 15, 2008 4:43:16 PM
This makes me want to stab people with pencils.
Posted by: bt | Sep 15, 2008 4:46:28 PM
In the 1970s & 80s, I played correspondence chess internationally. Games with Soviet players would take forever, as both CIA & KGB would intercept the postcards looking for the secret message behind "3.Lf1-b5." It was pointless then, too.
Plus ça change....
Posted by: Bill Brock - Chicago | Sep 15, 2008 4:53:18 PM
Even if real attackers are using WOW to plan, likely they would use private voice servers as opposed to text chat. This is the only way effective groups are able to coordinate multiple team members for real-time group strategies.
Posted by: | Sep 15, 2008 5:08:21 PM
I hereby cast a spell and eliminate all funding for useless government research.....
Dr. Dwight Toavs should be transferred immediately to fielding phone calls for FEMA.
Posted by: Nixer | Sep 15, 2008 5:29:38 PM
fuck WASP
Posted by: Bambarabam | Sep 15, 2008 5:30:06 PM
South Park said it best - "We believe they are planning to attack our imagination."
Posted by: | Sep 15, 2008 5:34:30 PM
Based on this level of logic I may need to buy Godzilla insurance. Perpetual analysis of ' What If's ' missed the real world threat of Box Cutters on airplanes. Not nukes, box cutters. A cold shower of reality is desperately required if any of this drivel is being taken with any degree of seriousness.
Posted by: dallas | Sep 15, 2008 5:35:26 PM
more important than private voice servers, i can have my own private WOW hacked server running in about 3 hours, most of that being the torrent download. OpenSim and i can skip the whole replace Washington with WhiteTalon. Or pay some third world programer 30 bucks to create a nice ap on top of GoogleEarth
Posted by: TaloasKnight | Sep 15, 2008 5:38:11 PM
Ya know what the really said part about all this is. This is so completely off the wall, that I thought I might take a second and post something like "Wahahahah, infidels, you have underestimated our level 70s, and now will pay"
But after thinking about it... I really don't feel like having Homeland Security show up at my office....
Seriously though, it's like they've just stopped trying.
Posted by: James | Sep 15, 2008 5:39:01 PM
This is waaaaay beyond retarded and paranoid. I love this quote "It's the job of intelligence agencies to anticipate threats and counter them. " Your doing a bangup job rtards!
Posted by: Typical BS | Sep 15, 2008 5:40:23 PM
Leeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeroy Jenkins!!!!!!!
(sound of black helicopters)
Posted by: LlamasForPeace | Sep 15, 2008 5:40:43 PM
I'm giving up and going back to hoping for another ice age or an asteroid strike. My species is too stupid to live.
Posted by: etatsitna | Sep 15, 2008 5:41:36 PM
Sounds like some CIA guys want to get paid to play WOW all day.
Posted by: John Adams | Sep 15, 2008 5:48:19 PM
>Welcome to Pentaburger, may I take your order please?
>Yeah, I'd like a rational, effective, well-priced security strategy that won't invade my privacy.
>Oh sorry, we're just fresh out of those. We can offer you a lackluster JPEG with less-than-n00b jargon to make you let us bug every multiplayer game an lobby on Earth. Would you like an overpriced vaporware sheke with that?
>Gee, I think I'll pass on that.
Indy Jones said it, not me: "They've got us seeing Communists in our soup."
Posted by: pr0ericn32 | Sep 15, 2008 5:52:45 PM
Well didn't you know that every time somebody kills a terrorist in a game, it happens in real life? So naturally when a Middle Eastern nerd plans to slay a dragon, terrorists are about to hatch a plan to bring down a important monument of an international super power.
...Give me a break.
What has likely occurred here is that someone in the Pentagon got busted playing WoW on duty and stayed out of trouble by brushing the whole thing off as "research". I'm sure he's laughing his Orcish butt off on WoW right now, telling his buddies how he actually briefed this nonsense to Congressmen.
Posted by: Ordonator | Sep 15, 2008 5:54:07 PM
As I said at the conference, Dr. Toavs' presentation made a good case for how much the IC doesn't have a handle on in terms of the online world. The WoW example is a particularly sensational way to frame it, but so, to the general public, was the idea of planes being flown into buildings until September, 2001.
However, until Dr. Toavs can suggest something more proactive than sitting on a panel to tell a packed amphitheater just how much it doesn't know... what's the point?
Posted by: FJennings | Sep 15, 2008 5:56:05 PM
Wow, getting a little desperate to find Bin Laden, are we?
Posted by: Derek D | Sep 15, 2008 5:59:03 PM
It continues to terrify me that an animated TV show filled with toilet humor seems to impart more wisdom than those whose job it is to protect our national security.
Posted by: Pixelguru | Sep 15, 2008 6:00:46 PM
I believe I can sum up their millions of dollars in research in a sentance: "Covert channels allow terrorists to plan covertly."
Its been known for literally hundreds of years that an effective form of covert communication is to make the communication look like innocuous data.
This is just like the stenographic "threat" in ebay images.
I really need to become a high ranking member of DHS. I could make a killing inventing new things to research on par with these report, do the research on my own time (all 45 seconds of it), and get enough man-hours to buy a house!
Posted by: RH | Sep 15, 2008 6:03:39 PM
@ FJennings
I believe the idea is that the US could spend their money better strengthening the US so that we can weather the damages of the terrorists than we can trying to prevent the terrorists from doing damage.
Posted by: RH | Sep 15, 2008 6:05:56 PM
Sounds like some Homeland Security people want an excuse to play WOW at the taxpayer's expense.
"So, like REALLY Boss, it's a THREAT! And we need to be in there MONITORING it!"
Posted by: Kent | Sep 15, 2008 6:07:32 PM
Someone's got a case of the stupids. Honestly? This shows one thing only: the disconnect that decision makers at these places have with the real world. I'm not even going to list the ways in which such a scenario is redundant, stupid, and unnecessary. Let me just point out that any two terrorists can send RSA encrypted mails back and forth for as long as they want to and there is fuck all counter-terrorists can do.
I'm sorry, I wasn't going to go into detail. My mind is still reeling from the sheer compressed amount of stupid.
Posted by: Daniel Klein | Sep 15, 2008 6:07:57 PM
Doesn't WoW require a constant flow of money from a trackable credit card?
Threat sounds feasible to me, people setting up a real attack and practice on WoW? Ok, I'll buy that one. But detecting an attack in a virtual world where people (or some sort of ancient species) are attacking everyone, all day and all night long, that seems too much of an investment for too few of a result. No way anyone will differentiate a genuine WoW raid from a practice of a real attack.
Posted by: A.F. | Sep 15, 2008 6:09:37 PM
or..
we could just forbid all communication in all forms. because someone might draw a map on a napkin or use toilet bowl colored water codes to send messeges between cells. Its an excuse.
The Government perpetuates the paranoia in the name of freedom to place more restrictions and keep us consuming, docile, and ignorant. Banks fold because of people's lack of willingness to change with the needs of society.
Posted by: angerbubble | Sep 15, 2008 6:14:39 PM
This is a prank, right? The Onion is running this in Wired just to get a rise out of people, and hopefully find a wingnut out there who will post comments taking the whole thing REALLY seriously? Please, please, PLEASE tell me the Pentagon isn't actually thinking about this.
Posted by: Don | Sep 15, 2008 6:15:10 PM
When I think of someone giving a presentation on this, it reminds of the scene in Fear and Loathing, where the speaking cop is trying to explain what a roach is to the rest of the cops. Classic!
Posted by: me...of course | Sep 15, 2008 6:17:55 PM
I actually think that this must be a plant from the terrorists to distract us with its utter banality and pointlessness. All I can say is that if the government wants to start hiring spooks to monitor WoW they can sign me up and let me at least put a tiny portion of my tax dollars to good effect!
What do you think Obama and McCain would say to this?!?
Posted by: Haggisdog | Sep 15, 2008 6:27:12 PM
@fjennings
Actually the commercial airlines angle isn't that novel. There was this nice little cold war movie in the 80's called red dawn where they talked about "coming across the borders disguised as commercial planes". Also flying planes into buildings, is also not novel. I believe the Japanese in WWII had quite a bit of experience in that arena. The novelty is that while we worried about it back then, there wasn't the mass public hysteria, the media vultures, or a government that all americans are latent terrorists waiting for their subliminal code word to "awaken the beast".
Posted by: johnson | Sep 15, 2008 6:31:33 PM
Be afraid, be very afraid. The only ones who can save you is a strong anti-terrorist government.
Vote Republican.
Posted by: bilbo | Sep 15, 2008 6:31:45 PM
Be afraid, be very afraid. The only ones who can save you is a strong anti-terrorist government.
Vote Republican.
Posted by: bilbo | Sep 15, 2008 6:32:21 PM
How many resumes will they get for a job description of being paid to play WoW all day? "Qualification: level 70 wizard"
Posted by: A.F. | Sep 15, 2008 6:32:29 PM
You have got to be kidding me. You know if terrorists start playing World of Warcraft they will never get anything done. They will eventually never sleep, most likely get divorced, you know the drill. I think this is just a way that some Pentagon employees to try and play WOW all day on our buck. LOL. Play records backwards, that's where they are planning things.
Posted by: Acampus | Sep 15, 2008 6:33:25 PM
Wouldn't it be easier for the terrorists to just look at a google map of DC and plan over encrypted gchat?
Posted by: reality bites | Sep 15, 2008 6:36:16 PM
What we've got here is a demonstrative piece for presentation at a conference as a general proof-of-concept. Bear in mind it's a spook conference, not a gamer or computer scientist conference, and the majority of the participants are probably sitting on the "Digital Immigrant" side of the fence rather than being the "Digital Natives" that gamers tend to be. It's sad to say, but a completely realistic example wouldn't be as accessible to the stated audience. Having recently been in the situation of having to severely ramp down the level of my technical research for a nonspecialist conference myself, I wouldn't be cancelling his funding just yet, guys.
In terms of virtual world usage, there are more of them springing up all over the place, more people using them and more efforts towards interconnectivity (e.g. Linden Labs' Open Grid Protocol draft). People are starting to look towards the possibility that virtual environment offerings may form part of our next-generation online infrastructure. It makes sense to give the intel community at least some idea of what could be out there, and start thinking transmedially.
It's possible to have a relatively seamless conversation over several channels of communication that would be difficult to follow for someone who could not observe all of them at the same time (you might be able to get
Second Life servers monitored in the interests of national security, but how about China's HiPiHi?). It's kind of like the internet equivalent of frequency-hopping radio. In a world where people can have five different instant messaging clients, in-game chat, in-game and out-of-game voice channels, email, IRC, SMS messaging, social networking sites and so forth, the intelligence community at large needs to be at least as savvy with this kind of reality as, say, your average 12-year-old girl.
"Attack on the White House" might be an extreme example, but there are a whole bunch of other ways in which religiously or politically-motivated groups could leverage virtual worlds too - one of the most obvious being laundering funds using virtual currency.
Posted by: Dr. Curiosity | Sep 15, 2008 6:38:48 PM
Wow. I never thought I'd see the day when our "intelligence" analysts were seriously giving their bosses such a flimsy excuse for playing WoW all day...
Posted by: Joe | Sep 15, 2008 6:54:02 PM
It's interesting to see all of the "but the bad guys would never do anything silly like this" posts here, when it's really just a general case that has been used many times in the past and will be used many times in the future. Find a channel of communication that's used by a lot of random people, figure out a way to pass info over that channel without easy detection, and make your plans. Similar tactics used in the past include newspaper ads and postings on public bulletin boards. Even graffiti, when you get own to it...
With the current effort being put into intercepting "normal" electronic communications, a small amount of thought toward the nonstandard ones is pretty important - and no, they didn't spend "millions of dollars" on the WoW case (as shown by the example above - more like dozens of dollars, if you include the donuts).
You can get online on WoW without confirmed ID (trial editions are free and downloadable anywhere, and prepaid credit cards and game cards are pretty anonymous). Ditto for a lot of other games, with even less possibility of a trace or interception.
Posted by: cirby | Sep 15, 2008 6:57:51 PM
90% or more of the comments above just go to show how stupid American's and their retarted brethern on Earth really are (I am an American, so you can save your rednecking for another day).
What honestly makes anybody with a sane and rational mind think that the only terrorists out there are ones who live in caves and don't have internet access? That terrorist don't play computer games, or own computers. Whatever makes people think these things is doing a good job at fraking up our future "out-of-the-box" thinkers.
First off terrorists can be of any age, rationally speaking anyone in high school or some associated institution around the world is capable of a terrorist attack. That being said any person of mostly any backround in the "Western" world of mostly any faith, or lack thereof, is capable of a terrorist attack.
It does not take a Muslim living in a hole in the middle of nowhere to launch a terrorist attack. For an IC official to believe it is improbable for a well-off Muslim (or of any faith to be fair) teen in Britain to commit a terrorist attack is doing a diservice to themselves and their country.
As for your gtalk conversations, and what not, don't think that the NSA hasn't already taken care of that at your nearest internet exchange server.
Posted by: Harry Toor | Sep 15, 2008 6:58:45 PM
What a fucking waste of PowerPoint slides. Is this what the government fucks are creating and showing themselves? What a clusterfuck. No wonder we're spending billions per month, losing our stature, and creating enemies. What a bunch of throbs. If this were in a movie no one would believe it.
...
Formula to get funding/promoted: find a modern cultural entity/trend (preferably one that the generals have seen their grandkids talk about), combine with scary weapon, valued target, and vague enemy. Create 40-80 slides with nice graphics. Add nice catered lunch. Prevailing belief in deity or similar mass mental disorder is a plus.
Posted by: Total BS | Sep 15, 2008 6:59:36 PM
KILL THE GRAND POOBAH
ELIMINATE EVEN THE TOUGHEST STAINS
HURRY, HURRY, HURRY
SALE ENDS QUICKLY
FULL SATISFACTION GUARANTEED
OR YOUR MONEY BACK
Posted by: Lionel | Sep 15, 2008 7:04:27 PM
War Monger; lets invade Iraq
Talon 238; Why?
War Monger; WMDs
Talon 238; really?
War Monger; No, KBRs i.e. Haliburton, Blackwater, Raytheon, Boeing, and of course War Profits, etc., etc.
Talon 238; I Love you W.
War monger; I love you too smirky!
Posted by: Shaj | Sep 15, 2008 7:09:31 PM
lol, looks like these spooks have figured out how to get payed for playing world of warcraft in the office.
Posted by: nate | Sep 15, 2008 7:22:02 PM
There are teams of military, intelligence, and private sector individuals (authors and the like) who are connected by cell phone networks. Their sole job is to come up with ways sin which terrorists might strike.
Keep in mind that films and novels proposed the use of commercial aircraft as tactical weapons years before 9/11. The French even raided an aircraft on the ground back in the 1990s because terrorists demanded far more fuel than needed for the hop across the water to North Africa.
Is this improbable? Maybe. So was 9/11.
Posted by: Andrew | Sep 15, 2008 7:24:16 PM
Chuck Norris' tears can cure cancer, the bad news is Chuck Norris never cries.
Posted by: zigadabooga | Sep 15, 2008 7:24:31 PM
First thing I did when I got the drift of this article was check the date to see if it was April 1.
.
Between "lipstick on a pig" outpulling the same-day Federal bailout of Sallie Mae and Freddie Mac, and John McThuseleh re-packaging himself and his staff of big-money lobbyists as the "Change" campaign, I've been doing that a lot lately.
Posted by: Chuck Darwin | Sep 15, 2008 7:27:51 PM
No one will dance their for a hundred years after the dragon fire spell is cast!
Damn terrorist haxx
Posted by: | Sep 15, 2008 7:27:51 PM
This is excellent, it will cause debate and create attention. Keep on Keeping on I say, we are all in this together.
Posted by: bo | Sep 15, 2008 7:33:33 PM
This is complete bullshit! Please getta fucking life!!!!!! We are not going to trade our freedoms in order to get security...because where it ends is an FBI agent knocking on my door saying my wife has a bomb hidden in her crotch and the detective's penis is the probe.
NO THANK YOU!!!!!!
Posted by: Jessie Jones | Sep 15, 2008 7:35:16 PM
I stopped reading after a few paragraphs. This article is ridiculous.
Posted by: Yosho | Sep 15, 2008 7:37:15 PM
Dr. Dwight Toavs... that's an anagram for... Vast Odd Wright!! oh my god.. He's the mole! What.. Who's there- huh!? aauuuuggghhhhhh!!!!
Posted by: Robay | Sep 15, 2008 7:37:54 PM
I reported something like this I've come across in real life.
Funny as this presentation sounds, I've observed crude workings that appeared to be the real deal, staged in Africa.
The "spam" for it came to an Iranian physics yahoo group.
I'm not laughing or checking my calendar for April Fools Day.
One step back from the main-stream video games, there is something else going on, I've seen it.
Posted by: Allen Francom | Sep 15, 2008 7:38:32 PM
The Cold War is over. The paranoid and humorless needed something to do.
If not 9/11, then something else would have happened. There are simply too many dollars chasing too few defense contractors.
So we have WOW paranoia now, *sigh*. I'm disgusted, but not surprised.
Posted by: instamattic | Sep 15, 2008 7:39:31 PM
@Dr. Curiosity: Thanks, you bring up a few very good points that many of the commenters are not even considering.
The long and short of it is this: communications media are becoming increasingly complex; this means monitoring, deciphering, and acting on bits of intelligence information is becoming harder than ever due to new technologies, not easier. Most people do not realize how difficult that task is for our intelligence community, and how safe most of their communications actually are right now because the complexities of monitoring them have outstripped spending on both domestic and international intelligence.
Information is warfare (and has been since the early 1990s); and its a terrifying thing to not see quite enough being done to prepare for it or to educate the public about it. It was much easier to find a spy in the 50s than would be today.
Posted by: lordmorgul | Sep 15, 2008 7:50:14 PM
If they find a game that attacks White House or a White Castle, then it is a game. On the other hand, if the attack is a city...then that could be something worth monitoring.
Posted by: KMGuru | Sep 15, 2008 7:51:32 PM
@instamattic: "There are simply too many dollars chasing too few defense contractors."
Nothing could be farther from the truth... its too few dollars that is the whole point of the research discussed here, not too many. The research was not done because money needed to be spent, but to show how more needs to be spent. Educate yourself on the per capita and GDP ratio spending of our military today versus 1945, 1956, 1968, 1992, and today... less being spent, not too much.
Posted by: lordmorgul | Sep 15, 2008 7:53:57 PM
"Thought crime does not entail death: thought crime is death."
George Orwell, 1984
Posted by: JP | Sep 15, 2008 8:03:35 PM
Seems like certain countries (they know who they are!) need to be clearly warned that any type of attack that is in the least bit attributed to them, directly or indirectly, will most definately result in their extinction under multiple mushroom clouds.
Posted by: curio50 | Sep 15, 2008 8:05:25 PM
Worst article ever. There's only like 500 million viable online chat arenas, 499,999 of which do *not* include the word "War," and which wouldn't be the first choice for an actual terrorist to hang out and chat their plans.
Why pick on World of Warcraft? Why use "WAR_MONGER" as a pseudonym for your scenario? Anyone else notice the first paragraph uses the word "might" three times, as in "we might just be trying to stir up some traffic for our website?"
Come on, Wired, post some real news.
Posted by: Rob Nugen | Sep 15, 2008 8:08:08 PM
Well keep making fun of the idiots who use any excuse to remove your righs to access the net and enlsave you every day more and more instead of actually doing somethign about it . What really happen to all of you americans I guess too much clorine and aluminium in the water you drink not to mention the grugs forced on you in school that must also become a habit after that. Dont any of you feel a little shame of what you become? Smart remarks do not save the day you know.
Posted by: Mark Bolan | Sep 15, 2008 8:08:51 PM
Well keep making fun of the idiots who use any excuse to remove your righs to access the net and enlsave you every day more and more instead of actually doing somethign about it . What really happen to all of you americans I guess too much clorine and aluminium in the water you drink not to mention the grugs forced on you in school that must also become a habit after that. Dont any of you feel a little shame of what you become? Smart remarks do not save the day you know.
Posted by: Mark Bolan | Sep 15, 2008 8:09:47 PM
Is World of Warcraft training your child to be a Terrorist? Next on Fox News!
Posted by: Jacob | Sep 15, 2008 8:24:08 PM
Clearly this fucking idiot was a government employee. What's next, a paper about how people could form a terrorist plot while they're waiting at the bus stop? What about 5th graders planning an attack during recess? NO ONE WOULD EVER SUSPECT...
Posted by: Noah B. | Sep 15, 2008 8:24:32 PM
I'm sorry, but it's just fucking ridiculous to think people who had fissionable material, or a working bomb, would be talking about this stuff on WOW. We can only hope that if there's a serious attempt to detonate a nuclear device in our country, it's done by a bunch of retards like this. Come on, Wired, I expect better.
Posted by: Noah B. | Sep 15, 2008 8:27:06 PM
These videogames are scary. For the first time, terrorists have a covert method for communicating!
It's not like they couldn't just buy pre-paid cell phones or something. It's way easier to get your shaman to level 60 for planning the attack.
Posted by: Jortibereal | Sep 15, 2008 8:28:07 PM
Nate said:
"lol, looks like these spooks have figured out how to get payed for playing world of warcraft in the office."
**
haha, good point, maybe they're smarter than we thought!
Posted by: Jacob | Sep 15, 2008 8:28:56 PM
"Leeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeroy Jenkins!!!!!!!
(sound of black helicopters)
"
LMAO!!
Posted by: wow player | Sep 15, 2008 8:33:03 PM
This is what happens when bible thumping, authoritarian conservatives run the country. Intellectual meltdown [not to mention the demise of science, education, economy etc.]. Next, these assholes with be using Ouija boards to decrypt messages and add 'terrorist' names to the no fly list.
Posted by: slimcat | Sep 15, 2008 8:43:50 PM
Seriously? It would take ONE experienced World of Warcraft player to distinguish that this is complete shit. you have ANYONE talking about "white fire" or "the dragon fire spell" or even "the oracle" in WoW people are going to be laughing you out of the world.
Posted by: WoW Player #2 | Sep 15, 2008 8:44:48 PM
Ummm... Paranoid much?
Posted by: Jason | Sep 15, 2008 8:47:18 PM
I plan on calling a bunch of random numbers with my dialup modem and hopefully get into contact with a CIA computer that can't tell the difference between a game and reality and have it "play" thermonuclear war. I'll be the bestest terrorist evar! Then I'll go on to star in a post-apocalypse Ferris Bueller movie and then disappear or let my career take a dive, which ever comes first.
The pentagon should keep an eye out for me as well.
Posted by: vince | Sep 15, 2008 8:47:57 PM
just more wasted money and fear-spreading propaganda from the bush administration. i didn't vote for this! it's time for a total revamp of our government. and if you think McCain or any other republican can or will change anything, think again. i'm moving to canada
Posted by: zrickety | Sep 15, 2008 8:52:26 PM
I want this job. I want to get pad by the government to come up with absolutely incredulous scenarios to scare the pants off of right wing soccer moms. Then I might actually get some play instead of going to my
second life furry parties.
Posted by: Evasiv3 | Sep 15, 2008 8:54:44 PM
Yes, fear everything. Be so afraid that you hand over your every single human right in exchange for extreme protection..Wake up people the terrorist are winning. .and the gov loves it.
Posted by: Jamie | Sep 15, 2008 8:59:20 PM
Ok. I tried to make the simple, "Terrorist are smarter than this and use encrypted chat or voice over a google map/sketchup or custom written app" approach. Then we have people making the loverly argument that while the EXACT situation above is silly, its a way of drawing attention to a methodology. Yes, but its the wrong way, drawing unneeded attention and more importantly lots of people seem to miss the bigger picture. Treason, Terrorist Acts, blowing up your government are fundemental rights, at least according to some guys back in the 1770s. Freedom has a very high price. Its not just the lives of the soldiers who stand up for us, is having to hear, witness and sometimes die for freedom even when its NOT your choice. not saying its ok to go kill people to make a point by any means. But Freedom is the greater goal between Freedom and Security, and the judgement call must allways come down on the side of Freedom. excuse any typo's its late
Posted by: TaloasKnight | Sep 15, 2008 9:07:32 PM
This reminds me of a report I saw from the Navy where Bin Laden was using dolly tea parties to plan the assassinations of heads of state. Apparently the "crumpets" were referring to mortar attacks, and the code signal "would dolly like some more tea" set off the trigger. It only cost a few hundred million to run the study, but I think this really might be the ticket to get Bin Laden once and for all!
Posted by: flavor13 | Sep 15, 2008 9:09:02 PM
I feel bad for the poor spook who has to sit around and listen to Barrens and trade chat for the rest of his career after this report.
Posted by: SDZ | Sep 15, 2008 9:13:42 PM
Perhaps all these responses are from the same person. This could be one long coded message, or just a bunch of anonymous people thinking. Either way, it MUST STOP!!
Posted by: fakenameforall | Sep 15, 2008 9:21:38 PM
What? another "games-are-the-cause-of-crimes" scheme?
Man, it may not be long before the government bans every single games, either violent or not violent.
Time to throw away my 360 for my own protection.
Posted by: mevops | Sep 15, 2008 9:24:24 PM
FTW!!!
Posted by: cm | Sep 15, 2008 9:41:45 PM
Im in no way paranoind, but why couldnt this be real? Why wouldnt terrorist try this, they would try anything else. I think that rather than complain about what our government is doing, why dont we give it time, and see what develops.
Posted by: SCAT | Sep 15, 2008 9:46:22 PM
The govt had one point, they can't keep looking for terrorist communication in the same place, there are just too many ways to encrypt a conversation. It would be very easy to have people on the game talking, while on a conference call, also using a 3rd party chat software, and some other program.
That being said, WTF are they doing? I want my tax money back. Any moron with half a brain could see that this is one of the dumbest things ever spoken about. It will be a sad day when some govt idiot uses the fear of terrorists to put sanctions on online gaming.
Posted by: hatesstupidity | Sep 15, 2008 10:01:28 PM
If I was going to plan a cyber plot. why use WoW, which doesn't actually align with the streets. why not set up a private UT3 server, build a custom MAP, invite only my friends and use the integrated voice chat to plan the attack? It would be much more effective/realistic.
Posted by: peter parker | Sep 15, 2008 10:10:36 PM
"just like the U.S. military trains with commercial shoot-em-up games." The US military uses commercial shoot-em-up games as recruiting tools, and to teach soldiers how to communicate through a headset when they cannot see each other. That's it. In fact the military has a real problem with over-confident soldiers thinking they are bullet proof, that freak out when the bullets start flying.
I wonder if terrorist are meeting in a cafe somewhere plotting on napkins how they are going to totally mess up WoW.
Posted by: joester | Sep 15, 2008 10:20:22 PM
The amount of false flags (and probably false arrests) that could result from something like this are ridiculous.
My Guild Wars elementalist pvp spec was designed to kill 2 enemy players really quickly, then die from fatigue preventing me from casting anything after that. I referred to this as the suicide bomber build.
I've seen guilds declare "jihad" on each other.
Of course, many fantasy worlds have their own religions, and in many cases at least one holy war exists in game, plays a major role in the plot, and is discussed by players often - especially in ones were actual role play is common, and someone may very well be a psychotic zealot... but only in character, and only in the game world. Combine this with the fact that death isn't permanent in a game, and blowing each other up for fun is generally a part of the game, and good luck distinguishing someone roleplaying a well-designed villian from someone actually planning something in real life.
Nuking is the standard term for heavy offensive spellcasting, in just about every RPG ever made. In shooters, there's often superweapons, and yeah, 'nuke' tends to be the quickest term for them. Of course, in RTS games, nuclear weapons are common.
Several military terms (line of sight, area of effect / splash radius, etc) are used regularly in all kinds of games, and particularly in the case of ones that are set in modern day with more or less realistic weapons, they're often used to mean exactly what they would in real life.
Of course, I haven't even mentioned the games that are actually built around terrorism yet... Counterstrike in particular, where one team plays terrorists and the other tries to stop them.
Chances are, if someone actually wanted to plan an attack, they'd use FAR less flag words than someone just playing the game normally - because they're trying to hide their plans, while normal players aren't hiding (or planning) anything outside of the game.
Could a terrorist group potentially use an online game to plan an attack? I don't think it's terribly likely, but sure, it's possible. Why WoW though? Wouldn't something like Unreal Tournament 2004 make more sense, where the map editor could be used to model a target, a "mission" could be built in Assault mode, and as long as you disable the really futuristic weapons, you can fight a semi-realistic battle?
Here's the thing: let's assume for the sake of argument, that somewhere, some group of nutjobs actually does take the UT route to plan some sort of terrorist attack. They're probably going to be playing on a locked, privately run server that requires a password to connect, not a publicly open server where any random player could figure out what's going on and report it. They're also probably using voice chat... also via a privately run, passworded server running either Ventrillo or Teamspeak.
Posted by: Trerro | Sep 15, 2008 10:37:21 PM
Can I have my taxes back please?
Posted by: Raeldor | Sep 15, 2008 10:40:44 PM
Wow this is just absurd. Come on gov, you can do a lot better than this. Why wouldn't these video game playing 'terrorists' just use a voice chat program/private server? Next thing you can check out is terrorist plots on Madden 09. I have a hunch the ringleader of the operation with play as the Packers to signify the "Big Cheese" and if they line up in the shotgun formation with 5 wide receivers that means the plan is go in 5 major cities!!! Give me a break.
Posted by: ThisIsAbsurd | Sep 15, 2008 10:58:34 PM
really? radical islamists who hate our way of life play WOW. that's interesting. basic flaw here guys, WOW players are far to busy leveling up their characters to bother extinguishing real life infidels.
Dr. Dwight Toavs, you're doing a heckuva job!
Posted by: dskessler | Sep 15, 2008 11:14:50 PM
"I'm giving up and going back to hoping for another ice age or an asteroid strike. My species is too stupid to live."
I second that
Posted by: CIA ftw! | Sep 15, 2008 11:46:21 PM
You know, the communication over WoW could not be spontaneous. It would have to be agreed upon in another online environment or IRL. And I really don't think that terrorists would lack the imagination to come up with something completely innocuous that no code cracker in the world could decipher. For instance, why not disguise a terrorist plan online as a "cyber" (sex) conversation? Or instead of using WoW why not use some My Cute Pony MMORPG that 8 year old girls play?
This whole idea of online games being monitored by DHS is nothing new, there have been "rumors" about it for as long as I can remember playing MMOs post 9/11, but I honestly don't believe it is feasible in any real way.
I wonder how much they are REALLY monitoring online/phone communication and how much of it is that they want you to BELIEVE they are monitoring it?
Basically I think you guys over in America are getting screwed out of your money and freedom.
Posted by: Placebo | Sep 16, 2008 12:00:51 AM
The righteous indignation of the mentally enfeebled makes my cry a little.
While I'm laughing.
The same crowd - the disaffected and poorly educated - that thinks this issue and the supporting research are legit are the same whackjobs who think the 11 September terror attacks were perpetrated by a global conspiracy.
Seriously guys, they have .jpgs, chat logs, and PROOF.
Posted by: Good grief | Sep 16, 2008 12:03:46 AM
Bloodninja: Baby, I been havin a tough night so treat me nice aight?
BritneySpears14: Aight.
Bloodninja: Slip out of those pants baby, yeah.
BritneySpears14: I slip out of my pants, just for you, Bloodninja.
Bloodninja: Oh yeah, aight. Aight, I put on my robe and wizard hat.
BritneySpears14: Oh, I like to play dress up.
Bloodninja: Me too baby.
BritneySpears14: I kiss you softly on your chest.
Bloodninja: I cast Lvl 3 Eroticism. You turn into a real beautiful woman.
BritneySpears14: Hey...
Bloodninja: I meditate to regain my mana, before casting Lvl 8 Penis of the Infinite.
BritneySpears14: Funny I still don't see it.
Bloodninja: I spend my mana reserves to cast Mighty of the Beyondness.
BritneySpears14: You are the worst cyber partner ever. This is ridiculous.
Bloodninja: Don't f**k with me biznitch, I'm the mightiest sorcerer of the lands.
Bloodninja: I steal yo soul and cast Lightning Lvl 1,000,000 Your body explodes into a fine bloody mist, because you are only a Lvl 2 Druid.
BritneySpears14: Don't ever message me again you piece.
Bloodninja: Robots are trying to drill my brain but my lightning shield inflicts DOA attack, leaving the robots as flaming piles of metal.
Bloodninja: King Arthur congratulates me for destroying Dr. Robotnik's evil army of Robot Socialist Republics. The cold war ends. Reagan steals my accomplishments and makes like it was cause of him.
Bloodninja: You still there baby? I think it's getting hard now.
Bloodninja: Baby?
Posted by: Deputy Director Bullock | Sep 16, 2008 12:08:42 AM
This convinces that there is no point in voting anymore.
Before you know it your going to need a Homeland Security ID number to log on to your own computer.
Posted by: D | Sep 16, 2008 12:24:58 AM
Stoners just got a cool Million to play warcraft.
G
Posted by: Geraldanthro | Sep 16, 2008 12:43:14 AM
This thread made me laugh and cry it changed me in so many ways.
Posted by: dodokitty | Sep 16, 2008 12:51:15 AM
I can just see it now... CIA operatives roll on a PvP server and get ganked .. ten minutes later you're dragged out of your house with a bag over your head never to be seen again. Seriously, WTF, do they really have nothing better to do...
Posted by: Darkened of VeCo | Sep 16, 2008 12:52:33 AM
One good thing will be coming out of this: Instead of killing innocent people with garbage information, intelligence operatives will be killing gargoyles and monstrous ogres - and the entire time they'll be saying it's necessary for our national security.
Thumbs up.
Posted by: Jon | Sep 16, 2008 1:04:17 AM
One good thing will be coming out of this: Instead of killing innocent people with garbage information, intelligence operatives will be killing gargoyles and monstrous ogres - and the entire time they'll be saying it's necessary for our national security.
Thumbs up.
Posted by: Jon | Sep 16, 2008 1:05:14 AM
One good thing will be coming out of this: Instead of killing innocent people with garbage information, intelligence operatives will be killing gargoyles and monstrous ogres - and the entire time they'll be saying it's necessary for our national security.
Thumbs up.
Posted by: Jon | Sep 16, 2008 1:05:37 AM
What about the decoder rings in our cereal boxes!? What about the decoder rings?! It's too late! We didn't think fast enough!
It was the decoder rings!!! NOOOOOOO!!
-- Big Mushroom Cloud --
End of Story.
Posted by: Wafflesnsyrup | Sep 16, 2008 1:15:12 AM
I wonder how these guys get paid, to make up completely asinine scenarios. Now I'm assuming the would be terrorists are alliance, as why would horde be raiding their own outpost. The big red square is actually the side of a mountain and is completely meaningless. The Zoram Strand is in Ashenville not Stonetalon Mountains.
Obviously, we are dealing with a bunch of noobs.
Posted by: TessNess level 49 NE hunter | Sep 16, 2008 1:29:22 AM
vector to the giant breadbox--beware the roaches--use zapgun on full or trance setting. Do not talk to any women in lace underwear wearing high-heels. Once in breadbox wear disco outfit and scream "woot woot"
Posted by: rightasrain | Sep 16, 2008 1:42:06 AM
why would anyone use wow to conspire?
i know nothing about being circumspect, and if i were planning some secret thing via the net, i'd use mixminion or something, and pgp encrypted messages.
wouldn't that be safer and simpler?
Posted by: toonces | Sep 16, 2008 1:53:01 AM
Well, ehm... I'm not sure if I should be shocked or just laughing. Isn't this "oh-no-terrorists-might-get-us-so-let's-take-away-every-bit-of-freedom-people-have-left"-thing getting a bit out of hand?
As a lvl 70 rogue maybe I should be worried the CIA will come and arrest me next time I pick the lock of a dungeon called "the arcatraz" because it would mean i'm planning to break everyone out of guantanamo bay or when I pickpocket some ogre it would mean I'm planning to steal the government plans from Bush himself.
Get real my dear people at the pentagon, if u want to play WOW and want to know what they are saying I'd say lvl yourself a character to 70 or 80 once Wrath of the Lich King is out. (you'd better hurry if u don't want to go through the trouble of having to lvl to 80)
Raids... yes, lots of people planning an attack on a blood elf or a demon really seems very frightening for homeland security.
You're already trying to get anonymity off the internet, don't you think it's disturbing that China has been trying to do this all along?
Yes, there may be terrorists threats somewhere. I still don't think this justifies some CIA guys playing WOW 24/7 because they're desperate and probably bored if they think this really is the biggest threat around.
But oh well, I guess as a CIA officer you already don't really have a life, more chances of succeeding in WOW.
Once you're tired of that you might want to start thinking about more realistic threats than some raid group attacking a dragon or even Orgrimmar.
Posted by: Omg So Desperate | Sep 16, 2008 1:57:29 AM
"The access is global. The jargon is thick. And most of the spy agencies' employees aren't exactly level-70 shamans"
- Actually, they are. So are many terrorists. And, apparanently, some reporters as well. Rest assured, real CT work does not look like this.
Posted by: AK | Sep 16, 2008 2:18:35 AM
This terrorist strategy would be much more effective using the game BATTLESHIP (non-electronic version). This would be for sea-based plots only.
For land-based plots, the game STRATEGO should be used.
Posted by: ParanoidFreak | Sep 16, 2008 2:25:55 AM
Enjoy your police state.
Posted by: W | Sep 16, 2008 2:30:58 AM
I'm going to the SHOPS in 30 mins to BUY SOME BREAD, I'm going to ask lots of my friends if they'd like some BREAD too and maybe if I fancy it later we'll have some TOAST. I wonder if they have any CHEESE.
Random comment chat or a plan to destory the world!!! I'll let your tax dollars go towards the funding of a research team who will, bit by bit pull messages like these appart until the come to the expensive conclusion that.....
ANY tool that allows people to communicate across continents COULD be used to plan the buying of bread or the attacking of something.
Posted by: HoRnO | Sep 16, 2008 2:49:32 AM
Paranoia... sweet paranoia.
Posted by: Aoshi | Sep 16, 2008 2:52:44 AM
Why the negative spin? This aids the terrorists goal, ie to scare us! Look at it this way, WoW is a useful tool for secretly communicating orders, for us or them. It's hosted by the civilians we are protecting so we have an edge if we need to investigate enemy activity.
Posted by: Tim | Sep 16, 2008 2:55:26 AM
First of all they wouldn't be that fluent in English, secondly WoW takes up way too much time - being a hardcore WoW player and a terrorist don't mix, and thirdly terrorists play StarCraft.
Posted by: _ARTOU | Sep 16, 2008 2:59:44 AM
This is so colossally stupid that it blows my mind. Imagine you're a terrorist and consider your options:
(1) Spend countless hours and money playing WoW so that you can develop a code using WoW lingo. Then conduct your communications using YOUR OWN computer, on YOUR OWN internet connection (or else spend even MORE time and money trying to find a WiFi hotspot that will support a WoW connection).
(2) Spend 20 mins and NO money developing a code that looks like two people making plans to go drinking. Then conduct your communications from any public computer/hotspot using MSN.
Which do you choose?
Anyone freaking out over scenario number 1 needs to go back to grade school.
Posted by: Frustrated Realist | Sep 16, 2008 3:07:36 AM
the people who made this up are complete morons.
Posted by: bubble bobble | Sep 16, 2008 3:20:34 AM
Can't wait for the bible-thumper phamlet comes out.
"Is your son a potential terrorist?
1: Does he play WoW
2: Is he using strange/uncommon words?
lol, this is soo short yellow bus
Posted by: Damien | Sep 16, 2008 3:30:35 AM
That monthly fee is terrorism enough... :-P
Posted by: Bob | Sep 16, 2008 3:55:00 AM
If the NSA and DOD are seriously considering online MMORPG’s as breeding grounds for terrorism, why is gold farming/selling still allowed? And why are accounts constantly hacked by third party programs and sold off? This is a classic example of "on your feet thinking" when being caught playing WOW on your Laptop at work.
And although it is the DOD's & the NSA’s job to think up crazy scenarios in order to stop potential attacks on the USA, they seemed to drop the ball when it came to KNIVES used to HIJACK PLANES and then crashing them into THE PENTAGON or just plain WALKING OVER THE MEXICAN BOARDER. I understand the necessity to think outside the box, but perhaps we should focus on more realistic and feasible methods of inflicting terror, like things that cut the box open! Instead of mucking around in Stonetalon Peak, maybe we could use some of these “free thinkers” to stop the hundreds of people pouring over our boarders illegally a day! Good chance a few of them are terrorists with nuclear or biological weapons in hand.
Instead of all this stupidity, the United States needs to truly flex its military muscles and simply turn the Mideast into a nice glass parking lot. Then China can come in and buy up all the oil contracts, thus getting all the spoils of war at the expense of American lives...oh wait, they already did that...just not the glass parking lot thing.
People like this in charge and I have to have a 3 hour job interview for $13.00/hr......christ............
Posted by: David | Sep 16, 2008 4:17:14 AM
I saw a bunch of Muslim extremists learning to fly Gyrocoppters around Stormwind. Who do I notify?
Posted by: LOL | Sep 16, 2008 4:23:00 AM
Anyone remember the good old days when Wired featured real journalism?
Yeah I don't either.
Posted by: Bob | Sep 16, 2008 4:26:08 AM
This illustrates what the "war on terror" is really about - thinking up the most crack-pot ideas that can be used to strike fear into the unknowing law makers. Thus in turn fucking up "normal" day-to-day life for all...
What strikes terror into me is that the people who make decisions for the majority rely on advice from so-called "professionals" who are just trying to justify their 6 and 7 figure sallaries. Infact basically put they're looking for funding to allow several agents to have unlimited access to playing online games 24/7. What a waste of your tax payers money.
Posted by: badstyle | Sep 16, 2008 4:29:33 AM
ZOMG terrorists ninja'd my epic lootz!!!
Posted by: massive lulz | Sep 16, 2008 4:30:02 AM
I just want to know what these guys are smoking....
Posted by: Why? | Sep 16, 2008 4:32:30 AM
Chess is also a threat to national security.
I believe that checkers is not an immediate threat.
Posted by: rupert | Sep 16, 2008 4:39:03 AM
What a bunch of paranoid tin-foil hats.
Why does the US military think "terrorists" would use online games for
planning and executing attacks ?
Because that's what they themselves use the Internets for ?
Posted by: Peter | Sep 16, 2008 4:45:02 AM
I guess there are those in the intelligency community that wants find ways to defend why they play comupter games on paid hours as well...
Posted by: Bengt | Sep 16, 2008 4:52:49 AM
IF the terrorists each had a computer, a legit copy of WoW, and a steady income to pay the monthly fee, they'd stop being terrorists.
They'd be geeky yahoos with pale skin who spend their fee time looking for epics, like me.
Posted by: Noble_Serf | Sep 16, 2008 4:53:59 AM
Oh no. I think I may have joined their guild in error. It's run by a gnome warlock with a long beard living in a cave behind Iron Forge.
Tw@ts! and to think they got paid for thinking of that.
Posted by: lvl 70 hunter | Sep 16, 2008 5:12:42 AM
In the land of the free and the home of the....well, not quite so brave after all.
Posted by: Mogadishu Jones | Sep 16, 2008 5:13:30 AM
This is so funny...
As usual the masses are unaware that spooks are everywhere, in all areas of your lives. People of interest are paid to report what they hear however innocent it might be. This is no different than the Soviet Russia and US of A of the 60's. So if you think that our "Jargon" on online games, Blogs and IRC channels aren't already heavily monitored, you're living in a dream. This trash piece of journalism is just propaganda. Terrorists and nature lovers will always find a way to communicate. We will never be able to control everyone, everywhere at all times, and if we ever came close life would not be worth living, you bunch of fascists !
Posted by: Jack | Sep 16, 2008 5:16:31 AM
The damn sad truth of it is, we are all terrorists. Under an oppressive fascist regime every person who is not (and some that are) members of the "inner-sphere" are potential enemies. This is simply due to the fact that every person has a limit on the amount of crap they will put up with before taking matters into their own hands.
Posted by: Reality | Sep 16, 2008 5:17:43 AM
Someone got PAID to come up with this bullshit? And Wired PAID someone to write this drivel?
These guys should consider seeing a psychiatrist, they are seriously in need of one.
Posted by: Paranoid Retard | Sep 16, 2008 5:24:41 AM
Terrorists have succesfully attacked our imagination!
Posted by: | Sep 16, 2008 5:35:58 AM
Completely absurd. Sure they (the always nondescript terrorists) might use such a space to talk, but the very idea they use it to simulate an attack? Even our war games don't teach you how to load, fire, and clean a gun properly. For that, you need actual training.
On the other hand, it would be hilarious if this was correct, but then all the terrorists got addicted to WoW, missing important information because they had a "sweet raid group" till 2 AM in the morning. Thus Blizzard would have saved the western world by making terrorists into WoWaholics....
Posted by: David | Sep 16, 2008 5:35:59 AM
This entire post is like an April Fool's joke. People using 'WoW jargon' to plot a terrorist attack... over the actual game chat channels!
Can't they do it over msn and use other code? It's just bloody ridiculous.
Posted by: Nero | Sep 16, 2008 5:43:24 AM
Why don't they look at something a little more realisitic like "America's Army." That game is made by our own government, and it is so realisitc that our troops use it to train. What I don't understand is why they go off and look at something as far-off as WOW. They need to get their heads out of the clouds.
Posted by: Todd | Sep 16, 2008 5:47:39 AM
You know what this sounds like to me? Some jagoff in the pentagon got busted for playing computer games at work and came up with this bs to cover his @ss.
Posted by: UHUH | Sep 16, 2008 5:53:11 AM
OH SHI!.... there onto us, fuck tariq log out
Posted by: Abdul | Sep 16, 2008 5:55:20 AM
I have to comment on this....
In anticipation of such a huge threat to global security, we Azerothians will gladly undertake the responsibility of ensuring our national security is not at risk. Our guild is stocked up on Pots, Blackened Basilisk, and Golden Fishsticks and we are ready to raid at a moments notice (though we prefer Tues and Thurs nights @7pm server time).
Pwnage: Hey, you got mats for that Crusader enchant?
Minimage: Your momma's a crusader
Pwnage: STFU, im gonna get chuck norris to Pwn your momma.
Minimage: Whatever, yeah I got em. You owe me though, the mats are hella expensive on the AH right now.
Pwnage: I'll send you the new weapon in the mail, just return it with a COD for the cost of the mats.
Holyraider: You guys ready for the raid on Tues?
Pwnage: yeah we r gonna rally at 66,61 before heading out though.
Holyraider: 66,61 got it.
Minimage: WTH, Nagrand? Why are we meeting in Nagrand.
Holyraider: Cool, I will be there. This is gonna be epic!
Minimage: Wait, why are we meeting in nagrand?
Pwnage: My Merciless Gladiators Waraxe is gonna Pwn with the Crusader enchant I am getting.
Minimage: what are you guys talking about? Who meets in nagrand before a raid on Stormwind castle?
Holyraider: Awesome.. /dance
Brought to you by NotANoob. These guys are ID10Ts.
Posted by: Eric | Sep 16, 2008 5:59:24 AM
Hey Homeland Security, and CIA hire me... I have a degree in Political Science and a Lvl 70 Paladin
Posted by: John | Sep 16, 2008 6:03:11 AM
Bleedin idiots ,, get a life .. get a minicall
Posted by: Osama Bin Murphy | Sep 16, 2008 6:07:25 AM
Listen, you think the al-quida, qida, idiot terrorists would be stupid enough to do the chat in /1 general - get real.
They'd have a guild - "WE BOMBERS" "HATEZ U S" or some other innocent sounding name. Plus look at all the servers. There is no way that the CIA or who ever would have the man power to have high lvl toons on every server on both sides and have them geared. Face it - if the bad boys were in WoW they wouldn't catch them - no one wants to run annoying gov. spooks thru VC and SM.
Posted by: IgotsLotsof70s | Sep 16, 2008 6:14:03 AM
Don't you guys see? It's just a ploy for intelligence operatives to justify playing WoW at work, since they do it anyway, but get busted for it.
Posted by: Klaus | Sep 16, 2008 6:33:05 AM
That's the stupidest thing I've ever read. I can't believe our taxes pay for nonsense like this when the country's got a thousand real problems.
Posted by: prunes | Sep 16, 2008 6:42:59 AM
That settles it, President Bush should ban World of Warcraft. This game represents a threat to national security and our ability to reproduce. I say ban it.
Posted by: NotAfraidOfRobots | Sep 16, 2008 6:48:54 AM
Wow, so terrorists might use code names and stuff. That's an important insight! I'm glad to see the Pentagon is still recruiting the best and the brightest.
Posted by: fletc3her | Sep 16, 2008 6:57:16 AM
one thing they didnt realise if said terrorist bought WoW in say Iraq wouldnt they be buying the EU version???
Posted by: Humanitii Lvl 70 Turean Shammy | Sep 16, 2008 7:03:03 AM
This sounds like a leaked story designed to build up a media hype around the use of the internet as mechanism of terrorist activities. This goes on for a bit, with more and more stories surfacing (you're already seeing it), then suddenly the government has a case for developing an internet "FCC" which is there "for your protection". Next thing you know you have to have a government certified ID to post information to the internet, and only government approved sites and servers are allowed to transmit data.
I don't know that the government will ever truly be able to control the internet, but this just becomes another hurdle, another way of developing social momentum toward the idea. Its called Manufactured Consent.
Posted by: J | Sep 16, 2008 7:06:00 AM
If they are that worried about it, why doesn't the government just hire some high-level players to monitor WoW? This is so dumb...
Posted by: QuestionAuthority | Sep 16, 2008 7:13:10 AM
thats a 50 dkp minus! moar dots!
Posted by: deedee | Sep 16, 2008 7:14:38 AM
I'z in ur raidgroup sharding ur WMDz.
Posted by: lolwut | Sep 16, 2008 7:15:49 AM
for some reason, i'm reminded of the time i saw "ID4" at a theater here in san francisco, and when the aliens blew up the white house, everyone applauded!
Posted by: fred flintstone | Sep 16, 2008 7:25:41 AM
OR.......OR........OOOOOOOOOORRRRRRRRRRRR..... they are really just playing the game!
Posted by: rvx | Sep 16, 2008 7:31:47 AM
Naturally they'd plan in a virtual world. Why not? Any tool that's useful will be used in all pursuits: embroidery, basket weaving, terrorism.
But it's amazing how the spooks pick on the fringe stuff and miss out on what's staring them in the face. I'll bet hey already get together at Starbucks! Starbucks make good cappuccinos and espressos. Add to that that Starbucks often offers free Wi-Fi which would allow the bad g
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