How a Spyware App Compromised Assad’s Army

 How a Spyware App Compromised Assad’s Army

An investigation reveals how a cyberattack exploited soldiers’ vulnerabilities and may have changed the course of the Syrian conflict

he Syrian army’s failure to repel a modest opposition attack on Aleppo in December, which ultimately culminated in the collapse of the regime of Bashar al-Assad, defies explanation.

The opposition’s military strength and its use of drones were contributing factors, no doubt, but they were hardly enough. The Syrian army had previously reclaimed vast swaths of territory from rebel forces. By the summer of 2024, Assad’s government controlled two-thirds of the country. The sudden unraveling and the conventional explanations behind it belie what unfolded beneath the surface of the military event itself.

In a previous interview with New Lines, a high-ranking Syrian officer, who recounted the final days of the regime’s existence, disclosed a revealing detail that I decided to spend some time pursuing. A closer examination revealed it to be the key to understanding the regime’s collapse from a different angle, not merely as a logistical or battlefield failure, but as the result of a silent, invisible war.

The snippet of information was this: A mobile application, distributed quietly among Syrian officers via a Telegram channel, had spread rapidly in their ranks. In truth, the app was a carefully planted trap, the opening salvo of a hidden cyberwar — perhaps one of the first of its kind against a modern army. Militias had weaponized smartphones, turning them into lethal instruments against a regular military force.

Beyond revealing the contours of a cyberattack against the Syrian army, this investigation seeks to understand the application itself, its technology and reach, and to uncover the nature of the information it siphoned from within military ranks. This, in turn, leads directly to the potential impact on Syria’s military operations.

The larger question remains: Who orchestrated the cyberattack, and to what end?

🔗SOURCE ➡️ New Lines Magazine

Related: 6/4 — ‘Syria And Israel Share Common Enemies’: Sharaa

5/8 — Great To See The Founder Of The Syrian Al-Qaeda Affiliate In The EU

2/19- Good Jihadi, Bad Jihadi: Al-qaeda’s Sharaa Vs Sinwar’s Resistance

1/30- Syria’s Al-Qaeda Branch Dissolves, Says Goals Completed By Regime Change

1/28- US-Backed Syrian Authorities Conduct Dozens Of Sectarian Executions

1/12 — HTS-Led Syrian Security Forces Step Up Sectarian Killings: Report

1/5- Fuck Al Qaeda / ISIS / HTS / ISIrael (Prod. Pendo46) — Rap by TheMcgwire / @PsyopDaily

12/30/24- HTS Appoints Foreign Extremists To Top Positions In New Syrian Army

12/28/24- Top US Diplomats Talk ‘Vision’ For Syria With Ex-Al-Qaeda Chief

12/28/24- HTS Names UN-Designated ‘Terrorist’ As Syria’s New Intelligence Chief

12/8/24 — Netanyahu Takes Credit For Assad’s Overthrow, Israel Seizes Golan Heights ‘Buffer Zone’

12/8 — President Biden Announces U.S. Involvement In Syria Rebellion…

12/6 — Thousands Flee Syria’s Homs As HTS-Led Extremists Advance On City

Syria’s army regrouped to the south to protect the city of Hama but once again withdrew after a brief battle in which the extremists employed large numbers of Ukrainian-supplied drones.

12/4 — Ukraine’s ‘White Wolves’ Unit Fighting Alongside Extremists In Syria: Report

12/2 — Turkish Intelligence Directing Extremist Offensive In Northwest Syria

11/29- Hundreds Dead, Fighting Rages As Syrian Islamist Rebels Reach Aleppo

One Week Before Aleppo Assault 11/22 — UN Envoy: Israel’s Attack On Syria’s Palmyra May Be Deadliest Yet

11/16 — ISIS Steps Up Attacks To ‘Destabilize’ Syria, Russian Envoy Warns

11/11 — Syrian Troops Foil ISIS Ambush Near US Occupation Base

10/28 One Month Before Aleppo Assault — Israeli Minister Threatens Bashar Al-Assad: ‘You Are In Danger’

9/21 — Ukrainian Special Forces Bomb Russian Base In Syria: Report

9/17 — Hundreds Of ‘Ukrainian Experts’ Training Syria-Based Extremists In Drone Warfare: Report [Before Aleppo Assault]

Follow ➡️ @PsyopDaily