Threat Management

‘Burner phones,’ not encryption, helped Paris terrorist evade detection

Investigators found that the use of “burner phones,” not encryption, helped the Paris terrorists to evade detection.

“They used only new phones that they would then discard, including several activated minutes before the attacks, or phones seized from their victims," The New York Times said.

Investigators reportedly found "crates' worth of disposable cell phones” but said they haven't found evidence that would prompt them to believe that the attackers used encryption.

So far, no email or online chats from the attackers have surfaced in the investigation although one of the phones was found to have an empty Gmail account on it.

One witnessed described seeing one of the terrorists on a laptop using what looked like an encryption software that ISIS claimed to have used during the Paris attacks. However, some have pointed out that they most likely witnessed a Verbose Boot instead.

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