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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.
Of course the only problem with this plan is that the terrorists actually get way into the game and are too busy raiding in WoW to bother with the real attack.
KnobTURN THE BEAT BACKInternetModeratorMod Emeritus
edited September 2008
someone should just make a game called 'microsoft terrorist simulator 2008' and then people will actually have something to get all antsy about and can stop grasping at straws to be ridiculous
Nah, someone got ahold of my account a couple weeks back, I reported it and got my account back but apparently they had been cheating, and got reported, and they only just went through with banning the username from VAC servers.
What sucks the most is that it's completely irreversible, and Valve's support page on it basically says "Ha, sucks to be you!"
That really sucks, but I suppose they can't really do all that much else.
I mean you could just give someone your account details knowing that they will cheat and pull that line. Or something. My brain is not so great.
Posts
https://medium.com/@alascii
Why is the black guy an ogre?
steam
apparently these people have the easiest job in the world because i could make up 20 bullshit internet terror planning scenarios in five minutes
GAY FURRY ORGY IN SECOND LIFE POSSIBLE MEETING GROUND FOR TERRORISTS
THREAT LEVEL ORANGE
Not Shifty enough
https://medium.com/@alascii
tomorrow night let's go on 'popcapgames.com' and 'play' some 'peggle'
if you know what i mean
Why can't the black guy be an ogre?
comparable dick size
yes, let's! then we shall bask in the glory of "the developer's" "high score table" and the accompanying 72 "new players"
SOMEONE FLEW A DRAGON INTO MEDIVH'S TOWER
fuck yes those 'stupid americans' will 'burn in hell' after we 'blow them up'
WAIT, FUCK
wait i thought we were talking about peggle
The editing was pretty neat; They added little name and guild tags over everyone's head and everything.
they should just give ea ten lillion dollars
those guys will publish anything
TOPICAL INTERNET HUMOR HA HA HA
Also, Peggle nights is awesome and you fuckers should all buy it.
that's silly
you should drink bleach and die
terrorist scum
oh you're from D&D
maybe you put on a goofy suit and fly through rings?
WAR sales go through the roof, nothing else changes
How about all online gaming?
talk english, crazy man
I hardly ever played games online but blehhh
did you do something bad and valve got............ steamed
heh heh heh
More important, did you deserve it.
What sucks the most is that it's completely irreversible, and Valve's support page on it basically says "Ha, sucks to be you!"
Snakeheads is the word I know for people in China that specialize in import/export of people
I thought the gold selling was a front [an alternative means of income semi legit} for them
I mean you could just give someone your account details knowing that they will cheat and pull that line. Or something. My brain is not so great.