145: Shannen

145: Shannen

May 7, 2024 1h 15m

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Episode Description

Shannen Rossmiller wanted to fight terrorism. So she went online and did.Read more about her from her book “The Unexpected Patriot: How an Ordinary American Mother Is Bringing Terrorists to Justice”. An affiliate link to the book on Amazon is here: https://amzn.to/3yaf5sI.Thanks to Spycast for allowing usage of the audio interview with Shannen.SponsorsSupport for this show comes from Varonis. Do you wonder what your company’s ransomware blast radius is? Varonis does a free cyber resilience assessment that tells you how many important files a compromised user could steal, whether anything would beep if they did, and a whole lot more. They actually do all the work – show you where your data is too open, if anyone is using it, and what you can lock down before attackers get inside. They also can detect behavior that looks like ransomware and stop it automatically. To learn more visit www.varonis.com/darknet.Support for this show comes from Axonius. The Axonius solution correlates asset data from your existing IT and security solutions to provide an always up-to-date inventory of all devices, users, cloud instances, and SaaS apps, so you can easily identify coverage gaps and automate response actions. Axonius gives IT and security teams the confidence to control complexity by mitigating threats, navigating risk, decreasing incidents, and informing business-level strategy — all while eliminating manual, repetitive tasks. Visit axonius.com/darknet to learn more and try it free.Support for this show comes from ThreatLocker®. ThreatLocker® is a Zero Trust Endpoint Protection Platform that strengthens your infrastructure from the ground up. With ThreatLocker® Allowlisting and Ringfencing™, you gain a more secure approach to blocking exploits of known and unknown vulnerabilities. ThreatLocker® provides Zero Trust control at the kernel level that enables you to allow everything you need and block everything else, including ransomware! Learn more at www.threatlocker.com.

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Shannon Rossmiller's Unlikely Journey

This section explores the journey of Shannon Rossmiller, a municipal judge and mother from Montana, who became an unlikely hero in the fight against terrorism after the events of September 11, 2001. Motivated by the tragedy and seeking justice, Shannon began gathering information on radical Islam and extremist ideologies by engaging in online chatrooms and forums. Using her skills, she learned Arabic and developed fake personas to infiltrate these communities. Despite the risks, her determination to protect her country and seek justice for the victims of 9/11 pushed her into a world of counter-terrorism that she never anticipated.

Infiltrating the Online Extremist Communities

Shannon formed a group called 'Seven Seas Global Intelligence Security Team' to share information about al-Qaeda and other extremist activities. As part of her undercover operation, she created multiple online identities to gain trust and gather information. Her tactics included impersonating influential figures within these communities and using tactical schemes to learn about potential threats. Over time, she faced ethical dilemmas about the integrity of her methods and the real threat posed by the individuals she was interacting with, all while keeping her operation secret from her family.

Operation Whirlpool and Key Investigations

In collaboration with a colleague, Shannon launched 'Operation Whirlpool', which aimed to deploy malware on the computers of those in the extremist circles she engaged with. This keylogger captured vital information that could lead to arrests and prevent attacks. Shannon's investigation uncovered plots directed at U.S. military personnel, leading to the arrest of individuals such as Ryan Anderson, who planned to share confidential information with terrorist groups.

The Costs of Heroism

Despite her success, Shannon faced immense personal risk due to her undercover work. After her testimony in court against individuals like Ryan Anderson and Michael Reynolds, her identity was compromised, and she became a target for threats from extremist communities. Even after her achievements, such as receiving awards for her bravery, Shannon had to restructure her life to maintain her safety and that of her family, highlighting the blurred lines between heroism and vulnerability.