Srinagar/New Delhi, Aug 30: Security agencies have detected a new communication tactic allegedly being used by terror groups and their handlers, involving pornography platforms, encrypted applications and the Tor network to secretly communicate and evade surveillance, officials said on Sunday.
The development comes after agencies earlier uncovered the use of online gaming platforms by terror networks. Officials said handlers, including Pakistan-based operatives, are increasingly shifting away from conventional social media platforms to less conspicuous digital channels to communicate with recruits in Jammu and Kashmir.
According to officials, some pornography websites offer real-time chat features, including services marketed as platforms to connect users with people nearby. These chat facilities are allegedly being exploited by handlers to send instructions and coordinate activities while attempting to avoid detection.
Security agencies are also examining Tor-based messaging applications, including Coatex and Conion, which route communications through multiple encrypted nodes to conceal users’ identities and locations. Officials said access to the Conion APK is restricted in India.
Other privacy-focused applications reportedly allow end-to-end encrypted communication without requiring a SIM card or phone number, making it harder for investigators to establish the identity of users.
Agencies are also monitoring several anonymous messaging platforms and applications originating from different countries. Some reportedly offer features such as encrypted messaging, self-destructing messages and registration without conventional identifiers such as phone numbers or email addresses.
Officials said some of these applications can function on slower 2G and EDGE networks, making them attractive to handlers and recruits seeking communication channels with limited digital footprints.
Several pornography applications are banned in India, but security agencies said users can attempt to access them through VPN services. Experts have also pointed to the challenges posed by the Tor network, which routes internet traffic through multiple relays to enhance anonymity.
While Tor was developed for legitimate purposes, including privacy and circumventing censorship, its anonymity features can also be exploited by criminal and clandestine networks, officials said.
Security agencies are now working to strengthen cyber-surveillance mechanisms to identify and intercept such covert communication channels.
Officials said the shift to these platforms also forms part of attempts by terror groups to recruit and radicalise vulnerable youths while avoiding monitoring of mainstream social media services such as WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger and Signal.
The latest findings have emerged amid investigations into the use of foreign-generated virtual SIM cards by terror networks. Such services can provide additional phone numbers for communication and potentially leave fewer conventional digital traces.
The use of virtual SIM cards had earlier come under scrutiny during investigations into the 2019 Pulwama terror attack, in which 40 CRPF personnel were killed. The National Investigation Agency had found that more than 40 virtual SIM cards were used by the Jaish-e-Mohammed suicide bomber and his associates.
Security agencies are continuing to track these evolving digital methods as terror networks increasingly seek alternative communication channels to evade conventional surveillance.
