Now On-Demand

Module CSFI-03 · RCCJOA

Radicalization and Counter/Cyber Jihadist
Operations Analyst

Support the warfighter, the intelligence community, the U.S. military, and law enforcement to strategically defeat terrorist organizations and their affiliates through the use of cyberspace.

Now on-demand: learn from your computer, phone, or tablet, anywhere, anytime, taught by former operative and counter-radicalization expert Mubin Shaikh.

Virtual & On-Demand · Taught by Mubin Shaikh · Maltego / OSINT Lab

Virtual on-demand counter-radicalization training and certification, taught by Mubin Shaikh

Featured Exhibit

Canadian counter-extremism expert and former undercover operative Mubin Shaikh is featured in a permanent exhibit at the International Spy Museum in Washington, D.C. His exhibit is located within the "Preventing Terror" section, highlighting his work infiltrating homegrown terrorist groups.

Course Overview

Counter the Threat in the Information Domain

CSFI's unique Radicalization and Counter/Cyber Jihadist Operations Analyst (RCCJOA) training and certification equips analysts to disrupt, isolate, and dismantle terrorist organizations and their affiliates through the use of cyberspace. The course pairs the professional and academic discourse on radicalization with practical, hands-on tradecraft.

Students gain context on world history and Islam, study how violent extremists recruit across social media, learn to read the human terrain, and finish with a red team exercise and an OSINT-driven malware analysis lab. It is built for the warfighter, the intelligence community, the U.S. military, and law enforcement.

Counter-Radicalization· Human Terrain· OSINT Tradecraft

Course at a Glance

Tuition: $1,500 / student
Format: Virtual, on-demand
Access: Computer, phone, or tablet
Duration: One-day course
Instructors: Mubin Shaikh and Paul
Hands-On: Maltego, OSINT, SEA TTPs
Credential: RCCJOA Certification

All applications are screened (see notice below)

What Students Will Learn

From Radicalization Theory to Cyber Tradecraft

A balanced curriculum that moves from the academic study of radicalization to applied, hands-on analysis against real threat-actor tactics.

Discourse on Radicalization

The professional and academic discourse around radicalization, with the intent to disrupt, isolate, and dismantle terrorist organizations.

Extremist Recruitment Online

How religious extremists use social media and social networks to recruit and spread their message.

Government Response

The do's and don'ts of government, including military, response to recruiting by religious extremists.

Reading the Human Terrain

How to read the social media profiles of potential targets to understand the human terrain.

Scripture Against Extremism

The use of scripture by religious civil society to combat and suppress violent extremism.

Hands-On Lab and Testing

A final hands-on exercise lab and certification testing to validate analytical tradecraft.

Meet Your Instructor

Taught by Mubin Shaikh

RCCJOA is taught by Mubin Shaikh, a former undercover operative who was instrumental in dismantling the Toronto 18 terror plot and is today a globally recognized counter-radicalization subject matter expert.

He co-instructs the course with Paul, bringing first-hand operational accounts to the classroom so students learn the analytical tradecraft to disrupt, isolate, and dismantle terrorist organizations.

RCCJOA instruction in session

Course Outline

Five Modules, Theory to Hands-On

From world history and the study of Islam through real-world terror cases, ISIS analysis, and a hands-on cyber lab. Select a module to expand its topics.

"Terrorists employ the Internet for recruiting, training, motivating, and synchronizing their followers. The enemy frequently operates essentially unrestrained and is free to innovate and exploit its potential. Cyberspace provides new and important means and methods to collect and process large amounts of information on the local populace and insurgents."

Joint Publication 3-26, Counterterrorism

01 World History and Islam 101

Learn about the world from a macro level to understand the political and cultural contexts that shape our globe.
Learn about Islam specifically: origins, beliefs, empire expansion, and contact with Christian Europe.

02 Terrorism From Talk to Action: The Toronto 18 Terror Plot

See, through a real-life example of a terror plot, how a group of youth moved from talk to action.
Notes and commentary on human intelligence operations in counter-terrorism prosecutions.
An identifying-vulnerable-persons guide for law enforcement: patrol officers, border control, analysts, operators, and managers.

03 The A to Z of ISIS

Recruiting of males, females, and child soldiers; propaganda, incitement, and attack methods.
Discussion of the concept of "Terrorism in Islamic Costume," with extensive references to Islamic scriptures.
A catalog of ISIS attacks, and how to learn from past incidents.

04 Red Team Exercise

Put the course's analytical frameworks into practice in a guided red team exercise.

05 Malware Analysis Hands-On Lab (OSINT Techniques): Syrian Electronic Army (SEA) TTPs

Apply open-source intelligence (OSINT) techniques in a hands-on malware analysis lab.
Study the tactics, techniques, and procedures (TTPs) associated with the Syrian Electronic Army (SEA).
Use tools such as Maltego to perform analysis against threat-actor-associated malware.

Live Training

RCCJOA in Quantico, Virginia

Beyond the on-demand format, RCCJOA is delivered as live, in-person training that brings analysts together for instruction, discussion, and hands-on exercises.

Special thanks to the Cyber Bytes Foundation for hosting the RCCJOA training event.

Testimonial

I would highly recommend this course to gain a better understanding of Islam from its beginnings, radicalization, and hearing first-hand accounts from Mubin Shaikh, who was key to taking down the Toronto 18. The one-day course included hands-on training utilizing Maltego and performing analysis against Syrian Electronic Army associated malware. Excellent training from two highly polished individuals.

Robert St. John

Technical Director, Novetta

Seal of the United States Department of the Treasury

Notice

Application Screening

CSFI screens all applications and will not allow any applicant whose name appears on the U.S. Department of the Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) Specially Designated Nationals (SDN) List, or on OFAC's Consolidated List, to enroll in a CSFI-sponsored course. CSFI holds the right to deny any application without further explanation.

Radicalization and Counter/Cyber Jihadist Operations Analyst