The State of Qatar's Hack of Our Democracies

THE STATE OF QATAR'S HACK OF OUR DEMOCRACIES

Richard Miniter 2019 2

BREACHED: Sony Pictures’ California HQ suffered a cyberattack in 2014, thought to originate with North Korea’s attempt to block a film satirizing Kim Jong-un (REUTERS)

Introduction In one of the largest state-sponsored computer hacks ever detected, Qatar’s proxies cyberattacked more than 1,400 high-status and ordinary citizens who were exercising their free-speech rights in democracies across North America, the Middle East and Europe, according to U.S. court filings, computer-forensic reports and expert testimony provided in pre-trial motions.

he targets included current Sami Hafez Anan, Egypt’s former Center for American Progress, and and former U.S. government Chief of the General Staff of the former director at Glover Park officials, ambassadors and Armed Forces; Secretary-General Group; American Rabbi Shmuley UnitedT Nations officials, as well as of the Arab League and former Boteach; and Kristin Wood, actors, international soccer players, Egyptian foreign minister Ahmed former senior analytics adviser activists, executives, fundraisers, Abdul Gheit; Assistant Secretary- at the Open Source Center, Qatar’s shocking diplomats, generals, dissidents, General of the Arab League and Central Intelligence Agency, who scholars, journalists, rabbis and former Egyptian ambassador led the Terrorism Analysis team hack reveals the blueprint imams from around the world. Even Hossam Zaki; UAE official and examining al-Qaeda’s ties to rogue nations can use to members of royal families and heads diplomat Sheikh Maktoum Bin Middle Eastern countries at the of state — e.g. Bahrain’s Crown Bhutti al Maktoum; Saudi Arabian Counterterrorism Center (CTC). target ordinary citizens, topple Prince Salman bin Hamad al- Minister of State for African At a time when the U.S. media politicians and subvert political Khalifa and United Arab Emirates’ Affairs and former Egyptian has been consumed by speculation (UAE’s) Her Highness Sheikha ambassador Ahmed Abdul about Russian interference in its movements in the open societies Hind Bint Maktoum Bin Juma al Aziz Kattan; Egyptian Cabinet 2016 presidential elections, and they oppose. Democracy’s silent Maktoum (wife of Dubai’s ruler and Member and Minister of State Hollywood is still reeling from niece of HH Sheikh Mohammed for Foreign Affairs Mohammed North Korea’s computer attacks enemy now lurks on every bin Rashid al Maktoum) — were Gargash; Wolfgang Pusztai, on Sony Pictures,1 the depth of citizen’s smartphone, tablet among those affected. security and policy analyst, and Qatar’s digital strikes has gone The list of prominent Middle former Austrian defense attaché; largely unrecognized. Here the and laptop” Eastern, European and North James Lamond, managing director details of the hack are revealed in American targets also included: and senior policy adviser at the full for the first time.

1. https://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/gadgets-and-tech/news/north-korea-hackers-server-thailand-sony-pictures-cyberattack-a8329586.html

Qatar’s Cyber War: The Background Qatar’s computer warfare is unprecedented in its duration (stretching over a four-year period from 2014–2018), geographic reach (including attacks on victims in three continents — Asia, Europe and North America), and scope (afflicting more than 1,400 people).

nd although they are united in the effects of these attacks, the victims have no otherA personal or professional ties to each other, apart from the remarks they have made that were publicly critical of Qatar. These critics of the Qatari regime were engaging their constitutionally protected rights to speech rights within the Western democracies or countries they hail from when their offending remarks were made. They cited Qatar’s open, traceable and public FINE-FETTERED FRIENDS: Qatar’s critics have cited its open sheltering of terrorists in financial support for the Muslim Doha’s luxury hotels (REUTERS) and “Sharia and Life” TV personality Yusuf al Qaradawi’s Brotherhood and Hamas — (inset, by Nmkuttiady / WikiCommons) incendiary comments designated as a terrorist group by

the U.S., the EU, Canada and Israel 6 — and the Qatari government’s They also mentioned Qatar’s Life” for years, which was watched use of its Al Jazeera broadcasts to harboring of Hamas and other by millions of viewers and7 on which normalize terrorist viewpoints. terrorist leaders2 inside luxury hotel he still appears as a guest. complexes within the Qatari During one of his capital, Doha. In other words, the controversial appearances as a country’s critics and the targets of studio guest, he was asked by the its hacking operations only cited anchor if he supported suicide information that is publicly bombings in Syria. An impassioned Qatar’s shocking available and undisputed. Qaradawi shamelessly responded hack reveals the blueprint Yet the accuracy that jihadists should not blow of the criticism themselves up unless the operation rogue nations can use to is not in doubt. is endorsed by the Brotherhood.

target ordinary citizens, topple Qatar has officially The Middle East8 Research politicians and subvert political acknowledged its Institute (MEMRI), a non-profit financial support3 group that monitors Arabic- movements in the open societies for Hamas language media and translates and its support its output, has presented many they oppose. Democracy’s silent 9 for the Muslim4 examples of Al Jazeera presenting enemy now lurks on every Brotherhood. pro-terrorist viewpoints. Any review of Al Alberto Fernandez, vice citizen’s smartphone, tablet Jazeera’s Arabic-language president of MEMRI, offered this

and laptop” broadcasts will reveal5 balanced assessment: “My personal that Yusuf al Qaradawi, the views on Al Jazeera are complicated, Brotherhood’s spiritual guide, had even though it is obvious that much a weekly show called “Sharia and of its content is deeply disturbing.

2. https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/worldviews/wp/2017/06/23/why-saudi-arabia-hates-al-jazeera-so-much/?u&utm_term=.5a37717d3d66 3. https://www.haaretz.com/middle-east-news/qatar-vowes-to-continue-supporting-hamas-in-gaza-1.5493246 4. https://www.theatlantic.com/international/archive/2017/07/muslim-brotherhood-qatar/532380/ 5. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yusuf_al-Qaradawi 6. https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/worldviews/wp/2017/06/23/why-saudi-arabia-hates-al-jazeera-so-much/?u&utm_term=.58030dc38e71 7. https://www.aljazeera.com/programmes/whatkilledarafat/2012/07/2012732069963178.html 8. https://www.memri.org 9. https://www.memri.org/reports/defending-and-attacking-mythological-version-al-jazeera-television 4

MIXED MESSAGES: Staff at work inside Al Jazeera’s Doha HQ, June 2017. The Qatari-owned network both transmits and elicits conflicting views (REUTERS)

he truth of Al Jazeera is of dollars to help cleanse Qatar of its U.S. Navy Seal and CIA contractor, rather more than those terror-funding record.” who sought anonymity given his past who want to shut it Still, Qatar’s leaders appeared field work. “Now they are using our “Tdown and those who defend it. It to be alarmed that critics might shift own Internet against us.” is BOTH a legitimate, historically U.S. or EU policy against the gas- Qatar’s shocking hack deserves important news operation, and an rich peninsula. These fears also have a closer look because it reveals the open and constant exercise in Islamist a strong basis in fact. Indeed, some blueprint that rogue nations can use agitprop,” continues Fernandez. American critics who were hacked, to target ordinary citizens, topple “[Islamic scholar] Fouad Ajami such as American Rabbi Shmuley politicians and subvert political perfectly captured the tone and Boteach, had called for changes to movements in the open societies nuance of the station in 2011 when U.S. policy, including shuttering the they oppose. Democracy’s silent he noted that, ‘day in and day out, Al U.S. military base in Qatar and taking enemy now lurks on every citizen’s Jazeera deliberately fans the flames of a harder line against the country. smartphone, tablet and laptop. Muslim outrage.” 10 So, Qatar apparently authorized Living as they did in free, a wide-ranging hack and attack on democratic countries, Qatar’s critics its international critics, as court had every reason to expect that their documents show. 12 nations’ laws and traditions would Clearly, intelligence If true, this would safeguard their rights to speak freely. officials say, the West is Now Qatar’s hacks have changed entering a new era of constitute a dangerous and those expectations. asymmetric warfare. direct attack by a foreign “If true — and the story Nations that cannot seems to be strongly corroborated hope to challenge the government against American — it would constitute a dangerous U.S. or NATO on any citizens for exercising their and direct attack by a foreign traditional battlefield government against American are using the Internet First Amendment rights” citizens for exercising their First — an information —Rabbi Shmuley Boteach Amendment rights,” American Rabbi superhighway originally Shmuley Boteach said in a statement built by the U.S. military to Breitbart.11 itself — to wage war on the “It would constitute an assault superpower. against a Rabbi and his wife, a mother “On September 11th, of nine, for speaking out against the terrorists used our own civilian Jewish lobbyists who took millions airplanes against us,” said a former

10. https://www.nytimes.com/2001/11/18/magazine/what-the-muslim-world-is-watching.html 11. https://www.breitbart.com/politics/2018/09/18/qatar-targeted-rabbi-shmuley-wife-with-hacking-attacks-report/ 12. See PDF attached / in online article link

How Oil and Gas Gave Rise to Qatar's Power Qatar is a small arm of land, roughly the size of the state of Connecticut, which reaches out some 160km (100 miles) into the Arabian Gulf. It has been ruled by the Al Thani dynasty since 1825, with various degrees of autonomy under Ottoman Turkish and British imperial rules.

echnically independent after World War I, in practice Qatar became a British TrucialT State in 1916 following the Allied victory in “the war to end all wars.” When British explorers found high-quality oil and gas there in 1940,13 the Qatar Petroleum Company was formed, resulting in the emirate’s slow transformation from a colonial waystation largely populated by fishermen, herders and traders with a way of life little changed since the peninsula’s Neolithic origins into a modern superpower offering a strategic energy source. POWER WALK: Qatari Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani arriving at Bole By 1949, Qatar was International Airport, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, 2017 (REUTERS) exporting its petroleum products to Europe. To this day, energy sales remain the emirate’s largest source of income. As the British retreated Gulf emirates in the 1960s and 1970s, clan has continued to rule. from the Middle East, yielding Qatar secured full independence Since gaining modern-day Bahrain and other from the crown in 1971. The Al Thani independence, Qatar has discouraged opposition political parties and has dealt firmly, even with peaceful dissidents. Its people have little say in setting the country’s policies or in writing its laws. Qatar’s constitutional rights are shared as sparingly as in apartheid-era South Africa or Ian Smith’s Rhodesia. Only Qatari citizens — roughly one-sixth of its legal population — can purchase land or participate in government decision-making. The courts are controlled by the ruling family; the final legal appeal is to the emir, personally. Open criticism OIL RICHES: Outside the Qatar Petroleum HQ in Doha (REUTERS) of the emir, or his family or his

13. https://qp.com.qa/en/Pages/Home.aspx 6

CATALYST: The discovery of the underwater Pars gas field — the world's largest — transformed the politics of the Middle East15

ministers, is a crime14 according To be sure, Qatar’s Pars gas field — an underwater to its constitution. neighbors have similarly poor territory larger than the land mass Yet, for years, Qatar human-rights records and lack of Qatar itself, and the world’s largely escaped criticism from independent courts, and its largest gas field — transformed human-rights activists, and the non-citizens do not enjoy the Qatar and the politics of the Western media portrayed it as a same legal rights as in Western Middle East. The sea-covered typical Gulf state: increasingly democracies. (By contrast, Arab field is now divided into two prosperous, politically quiet and Israelis can buy land, vote in major parts, the North Dome and aligned with the West. Both elections, run for office and enjoy the South Pars fields. the ruling class and Western identical legal protections to This discovery made Qatar intellectuals essentially asked the their fellow Jewish countrymen.) much richer than any of the other same question: With all its modern Then, suddenly, an Gulf states (except for its largest infrastructure, free schooling underwater discovery set Qatar neighbor, Saudi Arabia), and and free medical care, why do apart from its equally wealthy, enabled it to play a much larger Qatar’s people need elections and unfree neighbors. The 1990 role on the global stage. It did not government accountability? discovery of the vast offshore wait long to seize its moment.

14. https://www.theguardian.com/global/2013/jun/25/qatar-12-things-you-need-to-know 15. Source: “Qatar ‘rises above’ its region: Geopolitics and the rejection of the GCC gas market,” Jim Krane and Stephen Wright, Kuwait Programme on Development, Governance and Globalisation in the Gulf States, London School of Economics and Politics, March 2014, Number 35 7 7

Buying its Way as a World Influencer Qatar soon used its vast new wealth to buy influence across the Arab world. Once hundreds of miles of undersea pipelines were completed in 1995, the petrodollars began flooding in and Qatar’s regional influence rose with the tide.

he Al Jazeera media empire, owned and controlled by the Al Thani familyT foundation, was launched that same year. The timing is no coincidence. The ruling family used its newfound money to broker agreements across the Muslim world, and began to fund its television channel to influence Muslim opinion, first in Arabic and then in English (the language of many of South Asia’s Muslims, as well as immigrant populations in Western Europe and North America — in fact, only 313,000 INGRATIATING: President Omar al-Bashir of Sudan (left) welcomes Sheikh Tamim bin [2017 figures] of Qatar’s 2.69 Hamad al-Thani (center), 2014 (REUTERS) million residents are actually citizens; the remainder are expatriates and immigrants who hail from India, Pakistan, Iran, Qatar’s rulers bought a huge estate in Yemen, Bashir told me in an Europe, Southeast Asia and other on Africa’s Atlantic coast that interview in Khartoum in 2017 that Arab lands). was once owned by relatives of he would not abandon his friends Today, Qatar is the world’s Morocco’s King Mohammed VI. in Qatar. Meanwhile, Qatar is They then gifted it back to the funding the Houthi rebels in Yemen, largest exporter of liquefied16 natural gas (a.k.a. LNG), making royal family, alleging overpayment who are fighting its internationally it one of the wealthiest nations by some $500 million to reward recognized government. on Earth on a per-capita basis other royal family members who In Syria, Qatar has funded were bickering over the money the elements of the al-Nusra Front, (earning an $125,000 income,17 the highest in the world). Together, estate would fetch. This in turn which is affiliated with al-Qaeda. Qatar’s money and its Al Jazeera helped secure Morocco’s support Qatar also paid Iran-backed Syrian broadcasts (the name means “the To Mauritania in the south, extremists18 a ransom the New York peninsula” in Arabic) gave the Qatar also lavished money on Times estimates ranges between tiny emirate enormous influence. imams and funded the expansion of $770 million and $1 billion, It became, as one retired CIA a Muslim Brotherhood chapter. delivered in numerous black nylon official told me, the “mouse that In Sudan, Qatar’s diplomats duffel bags, for the return of 17 Al could roar.” Its leonine rumble mediated the conflagration in the Thani family members who were was soon heard in nearly every Darfur region, paying the major kidnapped while on a week-long conflict in the Muslim world, tribes not to war with each other — falcon hunt in the Iraqi desert. Such even disputes centered thousands thus ending a genocide while buying a ransom could fund a terror army of miles from its shores. tremendous influence withSudan’s for decades. For example, as Moroccan president, Omar al-Bashir. Even as Qatar also shares its officials in Rabat told me in 2018, his soldiers fought Qatari proxies largest gas field with Iran,

16. https://www.aljazeera.com/indepth/interactive/2017/06/qatar-north-dome-iran-south-pars-glance-lng-gas-field-170614131849685.html 17. https://www.nytimes.com/2018/01/22/world/middleeast/qatar-saudi-emir-boycott.html 18. https://www.nytimes.com/2018/03/14/magazine/how-a-ransom-for-royal-falconers-reshaped-the-middle-east.html

POWER PLAY: above left, Nasser al-Khelaifi with former UK soccer star David Beckham in 2013 (REUTERS) and right, Khelaifi (seated) with members of the PSG soccer team at a press conference with Accor Hotels in Paris, February 2019 (REUTERS)

20 football” ; London’s luxury and commercial buildings (for example, Canary Wharf Group Investment Holdings is majority-owned by Qatari Holdings — making

it London’s21 largest property owner, according to research data firm Datscha.com); and U.S. documentary television channel Al Jazeera America — part of the Al Jazeera media empire — which was subsequently pulled amid claims of sexism and anti-Semitism

while failing to gain22 sufficient U.S. audience numbers. EYES ON THE PRIZE: Qatar’s Nasser Khelaifi and Hollywood actor Leonardo DiCaprio watch the 2013 men’s single semi-finals (REUTERS)

and its financial ties with the conflict across North Africa, the Islamic Republic are intricately Middle East and South Asia. interwoven. Qatar’s strategic A full Qatar’s banks make loans to investments include top accounting of Qatar's Iran and its merchants sell Iranians European football (soccer) a large amount of televisions, teams Málaga Club de vast diplomatic initiatives computers and other electronic Futbol (CF), owned by would fill pages — its goods; Iranians also factor among Sheikh Abdullah ben Qatar’s mostly expatriate populace Nasser Al Thani, and money and influence (Qataris only comprise 11–12% Paris Saint Germain show up in every conflict of the population, with 30,000 19 (PSG), acquired via the Iranians accounting for 1.50%). Qatar Sports Initiative across North Africa, A full accounting of Qatar's (QSi) headed by Qatari the Middle East and vast diplomatic initiatives would government minister Nasser fill pages. In short, its money Khelaifi — the “most South Asia” and influence show up in every powerful man in French

19. http://priyadsouza.com/population-of-qatar-by-nationality-in-2017/ 20. https://www.sportskeeda.com/football/top-5-football-clubs-owned-by-billionaire-arabs/5 21. https://www.telegraph.co.uk/business/2017/03/17/qataris-london-queen/ 22. https://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/style/al-jazeera-america-news-channel-to-close-up-shop/2016/01/13/aa3ab180-ba1f-11e5-99f3-184bc379b12d_ story.html?utm_term=.f60dc1d3f37a 9

Setting the Stage for Non-Neighborly Contention in the Region Naturally, Qatar’s sudden rise to regional leadership has provoked the ire of larger Arab states, especially that of Saudi Arabia and Egypt, whose heads tend to see themselves as the natural leaders of the Arab world.

eing the Arab world’s collision course with them. since the start of the Iraq War in richest nation, Saudi Arabia Increasingly, Qatar’s diplomatic March 2003. controls Islam’s shrines wins often seem to come at Saudi By contrast, Qatar has Bin Mecca and Medina, while and Egyptian expense. Even tried to simultaneously support Egypt is home to approximately Qatar’s biggest prize — a U.S.23 both the U.S. and her enemies. one-quarter of the world’s Arab military base at the Al Udeid Air So, while Qatar hosts a U.S. air population, and its novels and Base — was the result of U.S. base base — home to some 11,000 televised novellas are a huge closure in Saudi Arabia. American servicemen, from influence driving Arab culture. Worse still, from the Saudi which U.S. warplanes strike Qatar’s newfound wealth and Egyptian perspectives, Qatar targets in Afghanistan, Syria and its Al Jazeera satellite often seemed to be working and Iraq — it also once housed

channel allowed it to compete at cross-purposes with Saudi’s Khalid Sheikh24 Mohammed, the — financially, diplomatically, absolute monarchy and Egypt’s mastermind of the September

militarily and culturally — with military dictatorship. Saudi 11 attacks, and currently25 shelters the claims to regional leadership Arabia and Egypt have generally members of Hamas and other of both Saudi Arabia and aligned themselves with the U.S. terrorist groups that have killed Egypt, putting it on a direct and its diplomatic initiatives Americans.

PRIZE ASSET: U.S. Secretary Rex Tillerson steps off the plane at Al Udeid Air Base — Qatar’s biggest diplomatic asset — October 2017 (REUTERS)

23. https://www.airforce-technology.com/news/us-qatar-support-udeid-air-base/ 24. http://time.com/4665163/barack-obama-khalid-sheikh-mohammed-letter-september-11/ 25. https://foreignpolicy.com/2014/08/04/hamass-bffs/ 10

atar remains one of the largest26 funders of the Muslim Brotherhood, which was founded in Egypt in 1928 by QIslamic scholar Hassan al-Banna, whose vision was to create a universal Islamic system of rule

by promoting Islamic laws and morals through27 social services. This group has since spawned virtually every radical Islamist group in the past half-century, including al-Qaeda, the Egyptian Islamic Jihad and the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS). Qatar fell from the high wire of official neutrality in 2017, when Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates announced a blockade, closing their land, sea and air ports to trade with Qatar and withdrawing their ambassadors. Qatar’s Arab TERROR MONGER: Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, the neighbors cited a list of reasons, including mastermind behind the 9/11 attack (FBI/WikiCommons) Qatar’s support for international terrorism and its close relationship with Iran, which the Gulf Even before the 2017 boycott began, Qatar Arab states regard as a mortal enemy. heard prominent Americans and Europeans call While the U.S. and EU have tried to for a tougher line on the gas-rich peninsula. As a remain strictly neutral in the Qatar–Gulf Arab result, Qatar began to compile an “enemies list.” boycott, Qatar’s rulers feared their neutrality It would not be long before it found a would not last long. They are savvy enough way to strike at its distant perceived foes, to know that shifts in Western public opinion utilizing the Internet to allow it to deny all often produce shifts in government policy. responsibility.

Fear in the Spear: Qatar’s Use of Spear-Phishing Qatar began to launch its systematic cyber warfare campaign against more than a thousand victims in North America, Europe, the Middle East and India in the past four years.

s the weakness of book, the target will click on the Next, as some unsuspecting, countermeasures has proved email, which then launches a virus- scoop-hungry and credulous ineffective against these like program that will transmit all journalists suddenly find this tactics,A eyewitnesses have revealed their private emails to their attacker. treasure trove in their email inbox, how this new world of cyber warfare Then those emails will be they will contact the prey for and diplomacy poses a risk to catalogued by topic and recipient, comment. Sometimes a demeaning 28 democracy itself. Across29 its more and combed over for embarrassing or destructive story is subsequently than 1,200 cyber victims, Qatar has admissions, financial irregularities or published, which will quickly used the same pattern over and over: illicit relationships. As any damaging metastasize from one news outlet first, it sends a spear-phishing email dirt is found, it is then circulated to to another, instantly devouring the to an unsuspecting target. Since this journalists at New York Times, The prey’s good name. At other times, looks like an ordinary email from Washington Post, the Associated Press reporters are unable to verify the someone in the quarry’s address and other major news outlets. email contents independently, so

26. https://www.aljazeera.com/indepth/features/2017/06/muslim-brotherhood-explained-170608091709865.html 27. https://www.hudson.org/research/13787-the-rise-of-the-violent-muslim-brotherhood 28. https://www.bloomberg.com/opinion/articles/2018-09-18/russian-hackers-aren-t-the-only-ones-to-worry-about 29. https://english.alarabiya.net/en/features/2018/09/30/EXCLUSIVE-Why-the-fight-against-Qatar-s-US-cyber-attacks-is-not-over-yet.html 11

no story is published. But the reporter’s phone call, by itself, would send the prey an intimidating message: that it is risky and reckless to oppose Qatar. Either by shaming or destroying Qatar’s perceived enemies, such spear-phishing techniques have undermined much of the opposition to the emirate’s policies inside Western democracies. According to DigitalGuardian.com, spear- phishing is the most successful form of acquiring

confidential information30 on the Internet, accounting for 91% of attacks. Unfortunately, with such a dangerous precedent being set, nothing can stop Iran, North Korea or other rogue nations from adopting the same playbook. Indeed, they may already be doing so… IP ADDRESSES: The list shows the trail of VPNs registered to Qatar while eluding detection by intelligence services. SHORTENED LINKS USED IN SPEAR-PHISHING DATA SHOWS ATTACKERS' TARGETS

SPEAR-PHISHING TACTICS: The charts above and below show how spear-phishing is done. Note that phishing attacks are not tailored to the victim, while spear-phishing attacks are DECODED NOTES SHOW TARGETS TRACKED AND ATTACKED

30. https://digitalguardian.com/blog/what-is-spear-phishing-defining-and-differentiating-spear-phishing-and-phishing FOOLED: Eventually the cyber criminals were able to snare Robin Broidy (seen here with husband Elliott in 2012 during happier times) (Alex Berliner/ABImages, via Associated Press)

Qatar’s Prominent Cyber Victims in North America: The Elliott Broidy Case

lliott Broidy, a self-made attack, the hackers used a Virtual subsequently appeared to be a successful entrepreneur and Private Network Service providers well-designed email from the BBC Beverly Hills-based financier, registered in different countries, news network with the subject line Ewas Deputy Finance Chairman including Russia, Cyprus, the United “Saudi Foreign Ministry Leaked of the Republican National Arab Emirates and the U.K. Documents.” Committee and a close friend of However, their plan fell Once the target clicked on President Trump. apart when a glitch occurred for the “OPEN DRIVE,” he was Broidy was also known to be several minutes, revealing the directed to a Google news webpage a very outspoken critic of Qatar, central launch point and IP address that asked him to verify his own citing its human-rights record, (78.100.98.177), which was registered password. The hackers on the financial support for terrorism and under Qatar’s main internet service other side were waiting. Once closeness to Iran — a theocratic provider, Ooredoo — a company the unsuspecting victim typed state that is developing nuclear mostly owned by members of the Al in his password, it is over — the devices and the long-range rockets Thani royal family. cybercrime has been committed to carry them. Broidy’s combination Spear-phishing emails first and the victim’s credentials have of political connections, personal appeared in the inboxes of a been stolen. views and indiscretions made him longtime friend of Broidy’s and The pace of phony emails the perfect target for Qatar’s spear- Broidy’s wife, Robin, on Dec. 27, accelerated between Dec. 28, 2017 phishing efforts, he said. 2017. The emails seemed to be and Jan. 4, 2018 in what Broidy’s Jassim al Thani, a Qatari from legitimate sources or contacts friend described as “almost nonstop spokesman and member of the in their respective email address attempts to spear-phish me, ruling family, calls Broidy’s claims books. Still, these initial attacks including text messages purportedly “completely fabricated and without failed. One of the emails sent to from Google tech support.” merit.” 31 In an attempt to hide Broidy’s friend (who requested Eventually, the cyber predators their locations and the origin of the anonymity through a spokesman) became clever enough to fool Robin

31. https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2018-05-24/broidy-s-expanded-hack-allegations-fault-ex-spy-emir-s-brother 13

Broidy, whose e-mail servers were Other journalists also done business in Russia. breached for the first time on Jan. received mysterious emails, too. Days later, the New York 4, 2018. Broidy’s friend fell victim On Feb. 7, 2018, Ben Wieder of Times ran a story based on Broidy’s shortly thereafter. McClatchy — a chain that operates stolen emails on its front page Once the emails were 31 daily newspapers in 29 U.S. on March 4, 2018. The next day, harvested, phony documents were markets and boasts an average Broidy’s attorneys notified Wieder distributed. The Institute for Law weekday circulation of nearly two and Viveca Novak, Wieder’s editor and Society, a sham Ukrainian million Americans33 — published an at McClatchy, that the Russian think tank32, published a report on article accusing Broidy of various documents were “provably false.” Jan. 25, 2018, accusing Broidy of misdeeds, based on purported No correction or retraction was engaging in business that would copies of his private emails. offered and no change made to the have put him in violation of U.S. Then, on or about Feb. 25, initial article. sanctions in Russia on. (The fraud 2018, PDF copies of Broidy’s Similar letters were sent was crude. Broidy had never done hacked emails begin appearing in by Broidy’s lawyers to the Wall business in Russia and had no the email inboxes of journalists Street Journal and New York Times. government contacts there. But it in New York and Washington, No response. Since these news hard to prove a negative, as victims D.C. Within the next few days, organizations never returned to soon learn.) The documents cited McClatchy’s Wieder received these allegations, it safe to say in the report were later found forged Russian documents, that they found no merit in the to be forged, likely by a foreign distributed by ILS. But as soon claims against Broidy. But the intelligence service. as Wieder began working on damage was done. The hackers Within a few days, David the story, he was scooped by his had achieved their goals. Corn, Washington, D.C. bureau competition. Al-Jazeera was not far chief at Mother Jones, a progressive The Wall Street Journal, behind. Its reporter phoned magazine, received an email posting at 10:48am EST on Broidy’s executive assistant in his alerting him to the Institute’s March 1, broke the news of Century City, Los Angeles office report and helpfully included a Broidy’s alleged Russian ties. on March 6, 2018, saying he was link to its website, ils.ooo. In reality, Broidy had never seeking comment on the hacked emails. He refused to leave his name, a call-back number or other contact information, making it impossible for Broidy to respond to the allegations. Nevertheless, the mysterious “reporter” left intimidating message: “Your reputation is about to be further maligned in international media.” The following day, Al-Jazeera ran a story on the forged Russian docs without including an effective denial from Broidy or pointing out that the documents were “provably false” and “complete forgeries.” Meanwhile, Associated Press reporter Tom LoBianco contacted Broidy’s staff on March 14, asking for comment about the newly SCOOPED: McClatchy journalist Ben Wieder (from his Twitter profile) received discovered evidence that George forged Russian documents from ILS, but was scooped by his competition Nader, a onetime business associate of Broidy’s, had served jail time in

32. http://ils.ooo/en 33. https://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php/McClatchy_Newspapers 14

Europe for pedophilia almost two the media feeding frenzy. saying he was investigating Broidy decades earlier. The allegation, On March 29, 2018, Newsweek based what he received of Broidy’s which turns out to be true, was presented a story alleging a quid purloined private emails. shocking to Broidy, who had pro quo between Broidy On April 27 AP’s LoBianco no idea about his associate’s and Rep. Ed informed Broidy’s longtime friend criminal past. Royce, then- that he had received a new batch This media chairman of hacked e-mails, feeding another technique is a classic This media of the round of investigations and of Soviet-era U.S. allegations by the press. disinformation technique is a The next AP piece appeared campaigns— classic of Soviet-era on May 21, 2018.35 Soon, the news “guilt by stories become a torrent that Broidy association”— disinformation campaigns found impossible to respond to. He in which an — ‘guilt by association’ — began spending thousands of dollars innocent victim per month to hire PR consultants is connected in which an innocent victim to, as he described it, “drink from to a genuine is connected to a genuine the firehose.” malefactor with It is worth noting that every the idea that the malefactor with the idea reporter in this chain seems to innocent must the innocent must be have had a separate angle, a little somehow be guilty House “exclusive” drawn from different too. After all, he knew guilty too” sections of the private emails. the guy. Committee This meant that the victim would The next day, a story on Foreign have to simultaneously contend by LoBianco and his colleague, Affairs.34 Broidy with multiple bogus claims. It was Bradley Klapper, appeared on the and Royce each denied the fighting the hydra of ancient Associated Press, outlining Nader’s allegation. No real Greek mythology, a criminal record in Europe. The evidence was cited. multi-headed serpent Associated Press reaches some two Next, which, when you billion people across the world per Washington Post cut off one head, day, according to its website. Its wire White House immediately service is used by virtually every reporter grows two major newspaper, broadcast and Josh more. online news outlet in the United Dawsey Even States, Europe, Australia and Asia phoned Broidy, — therefore it was strategically vital Broidy’s a man to the cyberattack. A single biased staff on with vast story had suddenly appeared in April personal countless major news outlets around 4. He resources the globe. appeared to and longtime The AP attacks kept be the first personal coming. On March 26, 2018, AP’s journalist to relationships LoBianco published another long receive physical with the president story on Broidy, based on his print-outs of hacked and other key White stolen emails. Broidy maintained emails, rather than House personnel, was that some or all of the emails PDFs, and indicated he was powerless to stop the largely were actually forged. He patiently preparing a major story. Wall Street baseless attacks in the media. explained the evidence over and Journal reporter Bradley Hope How could a lesser mortal possibly over again. Yet nothing could stop then contacted Broidy on April 18, survive such an onslaught?

34 https://www.newsweek.com/ed-royce-elliott-broidy-marie-royce-trump-administration-job-864214 35. https://www.apnews.com/a3521859cf8d4c199cb9a8567abd2b71 BOLLYWOOD BASHING: Bollywood actor Anupam Kher (left) and Indian director Mahesh Bhatt (right) were among 52 Indian celebs who were also targeted (REUTERS)

Other Prominent Hacking Victims’ Stories

Broidy’s story is similar to that of many other hacking victims. But while Broidy’s proximity to President Trump made him a lightning rod for the hackers, some received only a few negative mentions in the press.

nd while this appears to Relations Affairs Committee director Sasha Ghosh Simonoff; be largely a result of their Founder and President Salman and People Demand Change relative obscurity, it does Al-Ansari; The Syria Campaign co-founder and former Syrian notA take away from the impact (“Americans for a Free Syria”) diplomat Bassam Barabandi of the hacking on the victims’ advocacy manager Kenan — all of whom have been personal lives and freedom — Rahmani; Syrian Center outspoken in their opposition clearly, even relative obscurity for Media and Freedom of to Syria’s Assad government cannot serve as an effective shield Expression executive director (which is backed by Iran and against cyberattacks. and The Syrian Observer editor- Qatar). They, too, were targeted

Consider the case of eight in-chief Wael Sawah; Lebanese- and maligned in the media,36 as U.S-based Syrian dissidents and born, Washington, D.C.-based reported in the Daily Beast. other vocal Arab-Americans political activist Khaled Saffuri, Rahmani’s LinkedIn profile

— Jihad Makdissi, former Syrian noted for his comments on was mocked and alleged to contain37 Foreign Ministry spokesman; the Jamal Khashoggi case; several bogus claims on a website Syria Emergency Task Force People Demand Change Inc. claiming to be the “The Real Managing Director Mouaz executive director and former Syrian Free Press,” which alleged Moustafa; Saudi American Public Syrian Emergency Task Force Rahmani didn’t really attend law

36 https://www.thedailybeast.com/why-did-qatar-try-to-hack-syrian-opposition-leader 37. https://syrianfreepress.wordpress.com 16

worry about the Qataris.” the New York Times contacted Former Cairo-based Al me in 2016 to inform me he had Jazeera English bureau chief received a flash drive from an Mohamed Fahmy, an award- anonymous source including winning Canadian-Egyptian copies of my stolen emails. investigative reporter who was “Once some of the content of jailed in Egypt in 2014 on alleged my emails surfaced in the story he terrorism charges and sentenced wrote, the next day Al Jazeera went to seven years’ imprisonment, all out with back-to-back coverage had a falling out with the Qatari- about some of the content of the owned media network and emails. Interestingly, Al Jazeera subsequently sued his employer. disclosed information that was on While behind bars during the flash drive but had not been the 438 days of his incarceration, included in the article published in Fahmy overheard eye-opening the New York Times. SYRIAN CRISIS: Kenan Rahmani confessions from members of “I learned later from my own (from his LinkedIn profile) was the Muslim Brotherhood, who investigations that this is a trend the one of several U.S.-based Syrian told him endless stories of their Qatari intelligence uses to distance dissidents who were also targeted cooperation with the Qatari-owned themselves from the cybercrime by and maligned in the press Al Jazeera network. Fahmy has handing the goods since decried this unethical and to other illegal relationship as being far news

school in Washington, D.C.38 as he from the fundamentals of is “never there.” Sawah admitted journalism that landed surprise at Qatari attempts to him in prison. hack his account, affirming that The Qataris I learned later from my Doha assaults anyone against its launched an ally, the al-Nusra Front. extremely well- own investigations that Siminoff believes he organized this is a trend the Qatari and Barabandi were targeted plan to steal because of their communication Fahmy’s emails, intelligence uses to distance with the Turkish government assassinate themselves from the cybercrime over the Syrian opposition, his character specifically trying to comprehend and discredit by handing the goods to other Qatar’s involvement, including him in a cyber- news outlets and sourcing it to its connections to Jabhat al- espionage Nusra and HTS in Syria (as an operation, which them when reporting the independent analyst who prefers Fahmy reported to news on to remain anonymous explained, the Canadian police Al Jazeera” “Every time we follow a deal in 2016. —Mohamed Fahmy between Iran and pro-Iran militias Fahmy explained, “I and Islamic extremists in Syria, we deleted many of the spear- find Qatari money”). phishing emails I received that outlets In a strange twist of irony, were clearly very well tailored to my and sourcing Siminoff says that while he interests as a journalist and human it to them when reporting the formerly helped train Syrians rights advocate, but I must have news on Al Jazeera — their most to avoid cyber traps laid by the unknowingly fallen for one of them. cherished foreign policy tool and [Assad] regime or the Iranians, “I “I found out about it when the dagger they use against the never thought we’d also have to journalist David Kirkpatrick from critics of Qatar.”

38. https://qatarileaks.com/ar STARSTRUCK: Qatar recently acquired leading independent film producer Miramax Films, seen here receiving a 2008 “Best Picture” Oscar for “No Country for Old Men” (REUTERS)

nother prominent hacking This list featured prominent querying its political activities. target was Mr. Ronald Tamil actor Arun Vijay, Tollywood However, as Qatar has Sandee, a former analyst actors Mahesh Babu and Manjima strategically invested in inA the Dutch military intelligence Mohan, and Trisha some 38 media and who now serves as co-founder Krishnan, all of whom sports channels in of Amsterdam-based advisory reported hacks of geographically and consultancy firm Blue Water their personal social diverse Intelligence.39 media accounts. This massive locations As Sandee explained in an Added to across interview with TIJ, “It is clear the the 48 other hacking operation, Europe, hack targeted Qatar’s enemies and Bollywood which might still be Asia and friends alike. Qatar targeted its actors North own clients in Syria, the Muslim identified on ongoing, can only be America — Brotherhood, to keep control of the list, Qatar done by governments” including their activities. But targeting U.S. is suspected of —Ronald Sandee, Blue its 2016 citizens on U.S. soil should not be hacking — or Water Intelligence purchase of without repercussions. being in league Hollywood’s “This massive hacking with Turkey-based Miramax Films operation, which might still be cyber groups ProPak — the hacks could ongoing, can only be done by and Ayyildiz Tim to hack be symptomatic of governments.” Sandee confirmed — the accounts of actors Abishek the emirate’s ambitions to he continues to research the hack. Bachchan, Karan Johar, Rishi rule the global media sphere. As Sandee pointed out, Kapoor, Rakul Preet, Sruti Haasan, With 43% of the film box- even Bollywood (including its Ali Zafar, Boney Kapoor, Anupam office revenues made in India, Tamil Nadu equivalent, known as Kher, Amitabh Bachchan, Arshad Bollywood’s substantial earnings Kollywood, and the Telangu variant, Warsi, Hansika and Shadi Kapoor, and influence would easily place it Tollywood), was not immune and Indian director Mahesh Bhatt. on Qatar’s hit list of rivals. As there to Qatar’s cyber wrath. Some It is not clear exactly is also a sizeable Indian immigrant 52 Bollywood actors, actresses, why Qatar would wish to hack population — approximately directors, film executives and other these Indian celebs as, unlike its 650,000 — living and working in cinema personnel were targeted by other targets, none have been Qatar, the hacks could be part of

Qatar’s hackers, as confirmed40 by a particularly noted for speaking a larger plan to wield influence on list in The American Spectator. out against the emirate or publicly the subcontinent and abroad.

39 https://blue-water-intelligence.com 40. https://spectator.org/exclusive-the-india-files-dozens-of-bollywood-and-tollywood-actors-targeted-and-hacked-by-qatar/ #.XGcmEFzuhXs.twitter 18

A Not-So-Sporting Player In addition to the Bollywood hacking assault, eight Egyptian soccer players were also targeted: Abdallah Said, Ahmed Saed, Ahmed Salama, Ayman Refaat, Islam Saleh, Mahmoud Hamdi al-Wensh, Mohamed Abdel Fattah, and Egypt and Al Ahli goalkeeper Mohamed Al Shenawy, each of whom had their private email correspondences stolen.

s per its Bollywood victims, there does not at first glance appear to be anyA motive for Qatar in targeting these individuals, apart from its strategic power-playing in the sports arena, both regionally and abroad. As Sandee commented: “The targeting of a group of young football41 players by this Qatari hacking operation is disturbing. What are the Qataris looking for? Do they try to find dirt so they can blackmail these players when are participating in 2022 World Cup Football? Do they try to find weaknesses so they have leverage when they try these players out for Paris Saint Germain? Or is there even a darker agenda behind these specific hacking targets?” The “darker agenda” Sandee alluded to shows up in another of the emirate’s sports connections. Qatar has not only established itself as a major player in European soccer through its purchase of PSG and Málaga CF, but also through its BeIn Sports media channels — formerly known as Al Jazeera Sports — which includes local variants such as BeIN Sports France and BeIn Sports Spain. After the Doha-based network obtained exclusive STUNG: Egypt and Al Ahli goalkeeper Mohamed Al Shenawy, seen here during rights to broadcast major the 2018 FIFA World Cup, was one of eight Egyptian soccer players targeted by a football leagues such as the Qatar-led email hack (Кирилл Венедиктов / WikiCommons)

41. https://dailycaller.com/2019/02/11/qatar-hacks-egyptian-soccer-players/ 19

targeted Broidy as an act of retaliation because of his influence The targeting of a group on Trump. of young football players is Speculating on the rationale for the attack on the soccer disturbing. What are the Qataris players, David Reaboi, senior vice president at the Security looking for? Do they try to find dirt 44 Studies Group in Washington, so they can blackmail these players D.C., said: “These actions are fully when they are participating in the 2022 in line with Qatar's subversive policy, in addition to the billions World Cup Football? Or is there an spent by Qatar in organizing even darker agenda behind these the World Cup, and their clear willingness to do all the suspicious specific hacking targets?” things to ensure access to the — Ronald Sandee organization and to use football as an instrument of influence. “There are many reasons for Qatar to penetrate the means of communication for known people, including silencing critics, and in FIFA World this case, maybe to influence the Cup, the UEFA Egyptian players to sabotage the Europa League and Egyptian team.” the English Premier League, As in Qatar’s other cyber its Arab power rival, Saudi warfare strategies, “sabotage” is Arabia, disappointed sports fans clearly the name of the game. by blocking the channel from broadcasting the 2018 World Cup, threatening a 10,000 riyal

($2,746) fine to any hotel that 42 refused to censor the network. The Saudi-initiated Doha There are many reasons for blockade was43 followed by other Gulf states (the UAE, Egypt Qatar to penetrate the means of and Bahrain, among others), communication for known people, escalating in a diplomatic row over Qatar’s financial including silencing critics; in this backing of media channels case, maybe to influence the and its support for Iran and the Muslim Brotherhood. Egyptian players to sabotage the Egyptian team" he Gulf blockade was — also publicly backed David Reaboi, Institute for Security Studies by Trump, who accused QatarT of supporting terrorism and cited Elliott Broidy as a key influence in his policy. As Qatar was subsequently hit with international sanctions, it appears the emirate may have specifically

42. https://www.alaraby.co.uk/english/news/2017/6/13/saudi-arabia-blocks-qatari-owned-bein-sports-channel 43. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-40246734 44. https://securitystudies.org 20

Ambassador Lee Wolosky Cracks the Hackers’ Code Broidy’s story is similar to that of many other hacking victims. But while Broidy’s proximity to President Trump made him a lightning rod for the hackers, some received only a few negative mentions in the press.

s soon as Elliott Broidy realized he was being cyberattacked, he spared noA time in fighting back, quickly hiring prominent Boies Schiller Flexner, LLP lawyer and former U.S. Special Envoy to Guantànamo Lee Wolosky, who filed a lawsuit in California in March 2018 against Qatar and their agents in the U.S. Of the unique lawsuit, which attempted to hold a foreign government accountable in a

U.S. court for45 digital espionage operations, Wolosky said that hacking into a U.S. citizen’s emails HACK CRACKER: Broidy hired Boies Schiller Flexner, LLP lawyer and former U.S. is a criminal offense, but it is Special Envoy to Guantànamo Lee Wolosky to represent him in his suit against Qatar tantamount to “an act of war when such an attack is orchestrated by a U.S. presidents in significant computer attacks. foreign government.” national security positions. In 2016 “What this means, in Wolosky is a seasoned he was accorded the personal rank simple terms, is that the attackers litigator, crisis manager and of Ambassador by then-President bounced their internet traffic counterterrorism official who has Obama, who called on Wolosky of computer servers all over the served under the to lead U.S. diplomatic efforts to world. Really, in most continents, past three close the U.S. detention facility in we found thousands of computer Guantànamo Bay, Cuba. servers even just within the United Wolosky explained to TIJ States that were used to try and The attackers in an interview how this lawsuit disguise their activities. bounced their unraveled the data about the “However, in a couple of hundreds of people targeted instances, their obfuscation internet traffic of and who is behind it: techniques failed. The VPNs computer servers all over “The IP addresses came failed, and our technical people off the Broidy’s capital were able to see through — the world. In most continents management server, which, directly to the originating internet we found thousands of like many servers, logs off protocol address. all of the internet protocol “It was sort of like someone computer servers that were addresses that seek access to operating behind the curtain and used to try to disguise the server. then the curtain falls down, and “And what that revealed you’re able to see who’s behind their activities” was a very sophisticated the curtain. And in those cases, — Ambassador Lee Wolosky computer-hacking operation that we saw the use of a single internet used VPNs all over the world to protocol address in Doha, Qatar, try and disguise the origin of the as standing behind the curtain.”

45. https://www.politico.com/story/2018/05/24/elliott-broidy-qatar-email-hack-607970 21

US-based company Tiny subpoenas in his quest to pinpoint saw some notes that were indicated Url, a shortening web service that the cyber thieves: “We were able next to their targets, and these were provides short aliases for redirection to get all of the data used by this the notes of the attackers saying of long URLs, was among the group over a one-year period from what they wanted to do. companies that had to comply with May 2017 to June 2018 through the “In some cases, the hackers the court’s order and cooperate with U.S. legal practice of subpoena. created fake emails based on the investigation. “When we got that data and the general narrative of the real Essentially, the investigation decoded it, we were able to see emails, so you’re talking about an into how the hackers used all the fake emails and all the fake operation that involved probably thousands of “Tiny Urls” led to the addresses that were used by the thousands of people, certainly revelation that this crime was not group in targeting particular email hundreds of people in order to do only directed against Broidy, but accounts — real email accounts. all this work. also towards the thousands to whom “As a result of obtaining the “And it’s really only states, the corrupt links were sent. email accounts and the fake emails, in our experience, that have the Wolosky, in his legal battle we were able to see exactly who was resources to run an operation of on behalf of Broidy, succeeded in targeted by their email address, and this size and this magnitude and convincing the court to issue 80 when they were targeted — we even sophistication.”

MASTERMIND?: Broidy's suit claimed UN Special Envoy to Yemen Jamal Benomar (pictured) became the mastermind behind the Qatari hacking plot (REUTERS)

Masterminds of the Hack Named in Broidy’s Lawsuit During the lawsuit, Broidy asserted that the hack's ring leader was former high-ranking UN diplomat Jamal Benomar, whom he accused of serving as an undeclared agent of Qatar46 orn in Morocco (but a dual 1980s, nevertheless managing to escape Morocco through Morocco–UK citizen), to obtain a Bachelor’s and two the interventions of Amnesty Benomar was a student Master’s degrees from the International, he charmed his way Bopposition leader who was Sorbonne while imprisoned. into the UN’s diplomatic corps. briefly jailed in the 1970s and Eventually, after managing By 2009, the native Arabic speaker

46. https://www.politico.com/story/2018/07/20/elliott-broidy-jamal-benomar-qatar-734951 22

reappointed region, but nothing could be further as UN Special from the truth.”) Adviser at the level of Under he civil case filed by Elliot Secretary- Broidy was eventually General in dismissed. Benomar, who November 2015). leftT the U.N. before the alleged Soon, hack, submitted documents stating Benomar found that he is a Moroccan diplomat, work directing posted to the North African nation’s a cyber-warfare mission to the U.N. consulting firm The U.S. recognized in London, Benomar’s diplomatic immunity

according to despite the50 fact he is a permanent DOUBLE AGENT: Nick Muzin, a one-time Deputy Chief of Staff to Broidy’s court resident of the U.S., which would failed presidential aspirant Ted Cruz, registered with the U.S. as a filings, which normally bar him from a diplomatic suspected immunity claim. Benomar has foreign agent of Qatar Benomar of owned property in Georgia and developing the New York and his wife and children was named UN Special Envoy to global target list of Qatar’s enemies. legally reside in the U.S. Yemen, a war-torn nation on the Allegedly working under Equally mystifying is that Southeastern edge of the Arabian Benomar was an unlikely collection Benomar was also named as a Peninsula. Sent to mediate between of failed but ambitious political Member of the Supervisory Board the embattled regime in Sana’a manipulators, including Jewish of Lagardère SCA, a multinational (supported by Saudi Arabia and the Americans Nick Muzin, former media conglomerate with travel UAE) and the rebels (backed by Deputy Chief of Staff to U.S. and sports and entertainment Iran, Qatar and al-Qaeda), Benomar Senator and presidential aspirant subsidiaries headquartered in Paris, soon befriended the Qataris. Ted Cruz, and Joseph (Joey) in September 2018. Lagardère is a In 2013, Benomar met with Allaham, the one-time “King of publicly traded company and51 Qatar the Emir of Qatar. Soon after, Qatar kosher” restaurants in New York. is Lagardère’s top investor. gave $350 million to the Yemen Both Muzin and Allaham However, the fact Benomar Compensation47 Fund following registered with the U.S. government is working for a publicly traded the meeting. How this money as paid foreign agents of Qatar, with company undermines his claim to be was spent is of great controversy.48 Muzin alone receiving $300,000 per working as diplomat for Morocco. Political analyst Ahmed Sinan has month, according49 accused Qatar of funding the Yemeni to Mother Jones. off-shoot of the Egyptian Muslim (After Brotherhood, which has historically receipt of been at odds with Saudi Arabia. Wolosky’s Said Sinan, “The sizable subpoenas, Muzin donation from the Qataris is a and Allaham way to decrease Saudi influence in ended their work Yemen. Benomar became an agent for Qatar, with working on behalf of Qatar.” an embittered- By some accounts, Benomar sounding Allaham accepted bribes from the Qataris subsequently equal to $2 million per month. After telling Politico the illicit arrangement became that “Qatar public in 2014, Benomar was enjoys portraying MYSTERY: Benomar joined the Supervisory Board of Lagardère SCA, relieved of his UN post for reasons themselves as a Paris-based multinational media conglomerate whose top investor that were not made public (officially, purveyors of is Qatar, in September 2018 (REUTERS) he resigned in April 2015, and was peace in the

47. https://www.arabianbusiness.com/qatar-pledges-350m-yemen-fund-for-sacked-civil-war-workers-517633.html 48. http://hlrn.org/arabic/activitydetails.php?id=o2xnZg==#.XIF91YVzy1s 49. https://www.motherjones.com/politics/2018/06/joey-allaham-nick-muzin-qatar-jewish-leaders/ 50. https://staging.washingtontimes.com/news/2018/nov/15/jamal-benomar-defendant-in-hacking-case-shielded-b/ 51. https://www.reuters.com/article/lagardere-qatar-idUSL8N1I55NJ 23

Trump’s Cyber-Terrorism Strategy is Not Enough

While President Trump recently unveiled a new cybersecurity strategy52 building on his Executive Order “Strengthening the Cybersecurity of Federal Networks and Critical Infrastructure,” signed in May 2017, it leaves out an important component: victims of hacking, such as Broidy and the 1,400+ others.

ut effective countermeasures to national hacking attacks are hard to come by. B Military actions are essentially off the table, as no nation has yet carried out military strikes based cyberattacks. While sinking ships, hijacking planes or kidnapping citizens has provoked military strikes in U.S. history, non- physical raids have never drawn a military response. It is hard to imagine any elected leader ordering air strikes following a cyberattack. But what about cyberattacks in response to cyberattacks? While it has a nice parallelism, SITTING DUCKS: President Trump takes his seat while hosting a White House meeting the U.S. Cyber Command has not with cybersecurity experts in January 2017 (REUTERS) announced such a policy, and there is no public evidence that the U.S. has ever used to hackers to strike government ordered or condoned the U.S. has ever been successfully the attacks. This kind of evidence prosecuted in American courts. back at foreign hackers.53 A recent Wall Street Journal op-ed called for is very hard to obtain since rogue What’s more, U.S. law gives “a cyber second-strike capability” nations typically use third-party foreigners immunity from U.S. but, for now, that remains a clandestine operatives (such as prosecution, if the alleged crimes matter of advocacy, not policy. Indian or Ukrainian hackers) were committed outside the While sanctions are often who use offshore proxy servers United States.Very few victims try proposed to counter digital located in the Philippines or to bring lawsuits against foreign attacks, they are very rarely, if ever, Malaysia to launch such attacks. malefactors in U.S. courts. imposed. Diplomats want hard Nor do governments ever publicly Broidy’s first lawsuit in a evidence that a particular nation’s announce their culpability — and, Los Angeles federal court was indeed, they usually dismissed in the spring of 2018. deny any responsibility The judge cited the 1976 Foreign

or knowledge of those Sovereign 54Immunities Act, which attacks. safeguards non-U.S. citizens such Criminal charges as Benomar from facing lawsuits against state actors in U.S. courts. are also difficult, since The judge went so far as prosecutors must to beg, in writing, for Congress show “guilt beyond to amend the law to cover HACK VICTIM: Bahrain’s Crown Prince a reasonable doubt.” cyberattacks as it did in 2016 to Salman bin Hamad al-Khalifa (REUTERS) That evidence is rarely permit foreign terrorists to be available, and no foreign sued in U.S. courts,55 but his suit citizen residing outside was unsuccessful.

52. https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefings-statements/statement-president-regarding-national-cyber-strategy/ 53. https://www.wsj.com/articles/strike-back-against-every-cyberattack-11548624081?shareToken=stcb9063d387dc48e786f564b94cd73703&ref=artic le_email_share 54. https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-trump-russia-broidy/trump-fundraiser-broidy-hit-with-another-setback-in-qatar-lawsuit-idUSKCN1OK2EA 55. https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/national-security/u-s-says-defendant-elliott-broidy-hacking-case-has-diplomatic-n935456 QATAR'S CYBER TARGETS: (main image) Secretary-General of the Arab League and former Egyptian foreign minister Ahmed Abdul Gheit (REUTERS); (Insets, from their Twitter accounts): Assistant Secretary-General of the Arab League and former Egyptian ambassador Hossam Zaki; and UAE official and diplomat Sheikh Maktoum Bin Bhutti al Maktoum;

Cyber Diplomacy and Its Risk to Democracy ideas in the best possible light. heck HaveIBeenPwned. But each of these democratic flaws still com and see if you contains an element of democracy itself: have been hacked. funders vote by donating money to CIt is highly likely your movements (or not), and powerful secret passwords and If every critic had personalities agree or disagree bank details are to champion unpopular ideas. already for sale on to face the possibility Cyber warfare represents the “dark web.” that his advocacy would a new and unprecedented More than 700 attack on democracy itself. million accounts be undermined by publicizing By silencing dissenting are already his private shortcomings, only voices, Qatar — or any compromised, other rogue nations — can according to saints or fools would challenge divert or distort the national The Wall Street 56 dictators. This would leave a conversation by keeping Journal. world in which many leaders facts or ideas from the In theory, public. Like a jury denied democracies flourish are afraid to ‘speak truth to exculpatory evidence, voters when competing power’ — and we will all may render their verdicts factions air their on incomplete or even false best argumentsand be poorer as a result” information. majorities form a Imagine if Russian President new consensus based on Vladimir Putin’s jailing of journalists evidence and argument. In or killing of dissidents was kept from reality, some ideas are hampered the public. Without this knowledge, voters by lack of financial support, and are may come to a very different conclusion about the therefore kept from public consideration. Others wisdom of sanctions against Russia. lack charismatic champions to present contrary Likewise, imagine if China’s unprecedented

56. https://www.wsj.com/articles/strike-back-against-every-cyberattack-11548624081?shareToken=stcb9063d387dc48e786f564b94cd73703&ref= article_email_share 25

build-up of its naval forces were kept out of terrorize not only their own people, but even the the newspapers. Voters may come to a different free peoples of Western democracies. conclusion about the wisdom of enlarging America’s This changes the power dynamics, the navy. Or, imagine if Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad’s realpolitik, of the globe by making politicians, use of poison gas against women and children journalists, missionaries, dissidents and others, was never brought to the West’s attention, or the slavishly fearful. It is the cyber equivalent of giving genocide in Sudan’s Darfur region were never made dictators a nuclear bomb. And no arms control known… the list goes on. treaty can disarm them. If every critic had to face the possibility that If Western democracies do not develop his advocacy would be undermined by publicizing effective countermeasures to what former U.S. his private shortcomings, only saints or fools would president Bill Clinton once called “the politics of challenge dictators. This would leave a world in personal destruction,” the leadership of the world which many leaders are afraid to “speak truth to will slip into the hands of the most ruthless — a power” — and we will all be poorer as a result. It scenario where whoever is willing to be the most will also be a world in which autocratic rulers can personally destructive will rule the rest.

Richard Miniter

Richard Miniter is an award-winning investigative journalist and author whose articles have appeared in the New York Times, The Washington Post, The Washington Times, The Wall Street Journal, The Atlantic Monthly, Newsweek, The New Republic, National Review and Reader’s Digest. He is the author of three New York Times-bestselling books, Losing Bin Laden, Shadow War and Leading From Behind. Formerly an editorial writer for The Wall Street Journal in Brussels and a member of the Sunday Times’ investigative reporting team in London, Miniter currently serves as a national security adviser for Forbes and CEO of the American Media Institute. CSPAN’s Brian Lamb cited Miniter’s investigative work on 9/11 mastermind Khalid Shaikh Mohammed as one of his top book author interviews of the past 25 years. He resides in Washington, D.C.

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