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Pro-ISIS hacking group CCA returns to secure messaging app Telegram

By James Rogers , Fox News
Published | Updated
UnitedCyberCaliphate

This image appeared on the CCA Telegram account, as well as on the United Cyber Caliphate Telegram account, MEMRI reports (MEMRI CJL).

Pro-Islamic State hacking group Cyber Caliphate Army (CCA), whose Telegram account was closed over the weekend, made a swift return to the encrypted social media platform Monday, according to the Middle East Media Research Institute.

In addition to a CCA channel on Telegram, the group also launched a new account titled ‘United Cyber Caliphate’ – a collective account for four cyber jihadi organizations – Ghost Caliphate Section, Sons Caliphate Army, Caliphate Cyber Army, and Kalachnikov E-security team, MEMRI reported Monday.

The United Cyber Caliphate Telegram account racked up 200 members in less than an hour, MEMRI said.

Related: Secure messaging app Telegram removes 78 ISIS-related channels

Messages sent via the app are heavily encrypted and can self-destruct. The free app has already been harnessed by ISIS as a promotional and recruitment tool.

Telegram introduced channels, which it touted as “a new tool for broadcasting your messages to large audiences” last September.

ISIS used Telegram to claim credit for the Paris terror attacks in November, prompting the messaging app to remove a slew of ISIS-related channels. The mobile messaging service said that reports sent by its users help it identify and then block the public channels.

Related: Telegram boots more terrorist channels as its battle with ISIS continues

Telegram has not yet responded to a request for comment on this story from FoxNews.com.

MEMRI also reports that the CCA launched a Twitter account Monday, although the account now appears to be closed.

A spokesman for Twitter told FoxNews.com that the company does not comment on individual accounts for privacy and security reasons.

Twitter’s rules make it clear that promotion of terrorism, or any violent threat, are not permitted on the service. In a blog post in February Twitter said that, since the middle of 2015, it has suspended over 125,000 accounts for threatening or promoting terrorist acts, primarily related to ISIS.

Follow James Rogers on Twitter @jamesjrogers