New Weapons

As the conflict in Syria continues, the Syrian regime has found a new weapon to use against the political activists. Computer viruses and spyware.

Since the outset of the protests to oust the present Ba’athist rule, the government has employed the military to suppress riots and restore peace. Water and electricity have even been shut off in especially hostile areas. This new weapon implemented by regime supporters allows them to spy on members of the opposition. They impersonate members of the opposition and send spyware viruses out to others, which then rob the victim’s computer of any useful information. In one case, the virus, “had logged [a victim’s] key strokes, taken screen shots, rummaged through [their] folders,” and gained potentially useful information that the regime could use to better combat the insurgents (1). The victims of the viruses did not even know that their computer had been infected. When prompted to download a file, the victim was put under the impression that the link had not worked or was dead because no pop-ups or messages confirming the file had been downloaded appeared.

This newly developed infiltration method signifies a shift in the political world. Governments and anti –government movements can use the Internet to their advantage and find their way “behind enemy lines.” I personally find this progression interesting because it shows the extent to which technology has impacted the world today. These computer viruses are not simply an annoyance to the owner, but can now potentially have an impact on a political movement or even an entire country. We would not have dreamed of this sort of impact a few decades ago. Who knows what further influence computers may bring in the future.  

1. "Computer spyware is newest weapon in Syrian conflict - CNN.com." CNN.com - Breaking News, U.S., World, Weather, Entertainment & Video News. N.p., n.d. Web. 19 Feb. 2012. <http://www.cnn.com/2012/02/17/tech/web/computer-virus-syria/index.html>.