Previously, a dispute between War Thunder fans resulted in British military documents being posted on an online forum
Like stories of espionage go, the story of how 300 top-secret US intelligence documents were discovered and freely distributed on a chat app used by online gamers may seem completely unbelievable.
Nevertheless, the leak, which some are calling » Pentagon Files, sheds light on the real threat that the multi-billion dollar online gaming industry poses to the military and political security of Western countries.
The leaks themselves appeared in circumstances so bizarre that even John le Carré would be ashamed to use them in as a plot point.
A user of Discord, an online chat room designed for gamers, not only had extensive access to highly classified US intelligence information about the war in Ukraine, but also leaked this information to his online contacts.
Perhaps most unbelievably, a Discord user — alias OG or «real gangster» — did it solely to impress a group of young strangers online.
He was later identified by a New York newspaper. Times as Jack Teixeira, a 21-year-old member of the intelligence wing of the Massachusetts National Guard.
U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland said Thursday night that federal investigators in Massachusetts had arrested Jack Teixeira, a 21-year-old member of the Air National Guard, due to a leak.
It's a long way from Edward. Snowden's revelations about mass surveillance in the UK and the US ten years ago, or Julian Assange's leak of US diplomatic cables.
Defense analysts are largely reluctant to look at the leaks directly, in part because of concerns that the contents of the documents are part of disinformation or counterintelligence efforts directed against Russia.
true,” complains one source.
Others are more blunt about what the leaks seem to show, including hints that not all is well in Ukraine.
Ben Barry, Senior Ground Warfare Fellow at the International Institute for Strategic Studies, highlights a specific aspect of the documents that hints that Ukraine's missile stockpiles are running out. But if it inspires Ukraine's partners to speed up the delivery of missiles and other air defenses, Kiev will be grateful,” says Mr. Barry.
He warns: “The more the ‘known unknown’, the political support for Ukraine in the United States.”
Leaks suggesting Ukraine is running low on anti-aircraft missiles could influence Russia and joint decision-making. Photo: REUTERS/Violeta Santos Moura
Meanwhile, the Ministry of Defense immediately tried to question the authenticity of the documents.
A spokesperson says: «A widely publicized leak of alleged classified information from the US has demonstrated a serious level of inaccuracy.
«Readers should be careful to take at face value allegations that have the potential to spread disinformation.»
Despite the practical geopolitical concerns raised by the incident and its impact on defense and international relations, there is a growing concern that requires public attention: how online games cultivate a culture of leaks.
Even the nickname used by the insider hints at this. The name OG stands for the leader or elder of the community, as well as someone who paves the way by doing something not entirely legal.
As far-fetched as the scenario may seem, those who were originally leaked may not have understood it. what they saw first,” says Jake Moore, global security adviser at antivirus firm Eset.
No one expects to see “top secret” estimates of Russian casualties in game chat or see similar material on the infamous 4chan forum where some screenshots have been reported.
“These highly sensitive files may seem like fun to those involved, as they may not consider the potentially huge consequences of leaking such information to the public,” says Moore.
“Gamers communicate through channels that often not visited by the masses, and therefore it may be days before such secret files are discovered by the general public.
“However, by then the damage may have been done and it will not be possible. even try to close the lid of this exploding worm can.”
Weapons of Ukraine promo
Understanding where the leaks originated is key to understanding the threat posed by the combination of mindless files and screenshots being able to spread around the world.
Discord is an app that has around 150 million users around the world, mostly people who enjoy playing with each other online. The site is divided into servers, access to each of which can only be obtained through an invitation link.
Some servers make their links public so anyone can join. Others carefully guard their invitations, as does OG: investigative website Bellingcat reported that there were only 20 users on its «Thug Shaker Central» server.
The Pentagon Files are not the only case where online gamers ended up breaking security.
In July 2021, a British soldier whose online profile states that he is an armor instructor based in the Royal Tank Regiment's hometown of Tidworth posted excerpts from a Challenger 2 tank manual in an attempt to win an online dispute about playing War Thunder.
«The image is not exactly to scale, as it [sic] is only intended to show the position of the components relative to each other, but it fits what I'm trying to convey here,» the soldier wrote on Forum War Thunder before entering into a detailed discussion of the installation of the main gun of the tank.
Challenger 2 tank
Gaijin Entertainment, the company behind War Thunder, removed the material after contacting the MoD, but news outlets, including the UK Defense Journal, which first reported the incident, noted that Gaijin was originally founded in Russia.< /p>
Similarly, in 2019, a Russian software developer working for flight simulator manufacturer Eagle Dynamics was deported from the US after he bought an F-16 pilot manual on eBay through an American accomplice.
“I thought that they are bred. too cautious that this is some kind of super-law-abiding American thing,” said developer Oleg Tishchenko.
“Documents were not supposed to be sold to citizens of other countries,” he continued. in an interview with the Russian news site Meduza shortly after returning home.
“But this is also naive: you can always buy them and give someone a copy as a gift. So I had no doubts.”
The threat of online gaming to national security has not gone unnoticed.
In 2013, it was revealed that US intelligence agencies were monitoring World of Warcraft players out of concern that terrorists were using the in-game voice chat to hide from law enforcement.
< p>Despite While Discord leaks continue to surprise the tech and national security communities, it should be remembered that even the most innocuous online activities can sometimes lead to much more dangerous activities.
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