Hacked at the Network Level Discover how SS7 and Diameter protocols—the backbone of global telecom—are exploited by surveillance vendors and governments to track, spy, and intercept communications undetected. From Circles’ spy tech to Ofcom’s bans, learn why SMS authentication fails and how encryption could save privacy. A deep dive into invisible threats.
This investigative report documents systematic citizenship forgery within Libya’s civil registry, revealing that over 3,500 individuals and nearly 300,000 files have been implicated in identity fraud. Between 2024 and 2026, the Libyan Attorney General exposed critical infrastructure gaps, such as private control of system source code and a lack of digital audit trails. These vulnerabilities allowed organized networks to manufacture legitimate-looking identities for foreign nationals and extremist operatives, including high-ranking ISIS leaders. Beyond administrative corruption, the report highlights the lethal risks faced by whistleblowers and the resulting devaluation of the Libyan passport on the global stage. Ultimately, the findings frame this crisis as a major national security threat that facilitates transnational crime and undermines the integrity of future democratic processes.
The Libya Crimes Watch 2025 Annual Report documents a significant escalation in human rights violations across Libya, attributed to both the Government of National Unity and the Libyan Arab Armed Forces. Utilizing a survivor-centered methodology, the organization verified 859 incidents involving arbitrary detention, enforced disappearances, and unlawful killings. The report emphasizes how political and military fragmentation has entrenched a culture of impunity, allowing high-ranking commanders to evade justice. Furthermore, it highlights the systematic targeting of vulnerable groups, including migrants, activists, and journalists, while national judicial systems remain unable or unwilling to act. Ultimately, the findings call for international accountability and the establishment of independent investigative mechanisms to address potential international crimes.
This report from Access Now details a sophisticated hack-for-hire campaign that targeted journalists and political figures in the Middle East and North Africa between 2023 and 2025. Investigators uncovered a series of spear-phishing attacks aimed at stealing credentials for Apple, Google, and Microsoft accounts by impersonating legitimate technical support services. The digital forensic analysis suggests these operations were likely executed by a well-resourced Advanced Persistent Threat group with ties to Asia. Beyond simple deceptive links, the threat actors utilized complex OAuth consent phishing and malicious Android applications to exfiltrate sensitive personal data. By mapping overlapping infrastructure and shared code, the researchers illustrate a persistent effort to suppress civil society through digital espionage. The findings serve as a critical warning and provide actionable intelligence to help at-risk individuals reinforce their cybersecurity defenses.
This investigative report by The Sentry exposes the financial network of Ahmed Gadalla, a prominent financier for the Haftar family in eastern Libya. The text details how Gadalla utilized UAE-based companies and al-Masraf bank to secure $300 million in loans to fund Khalifa Haftar’s 2019 military offensive, potentially bankrolling the Wagner Group. Following the campaign’s failure, Gadalla evolved into a central economic “fixer,” allegedly facilitating arms smuggling, money laundering, and the circulation of counterfeit Russian-printed currency. Through his de facto control over major financial institutions like the Bank of Commerce and Development, he is accused of orchestrating large-scale fraud while operating under the protection of Saddam Haftar. The report characterizes Gadalla as a prime example of the systemic kleptocracy and institutional weakness currently plaguing the Libyan state. Ultimately, the document calls for international sanctions against Gadalla and his business network to disrupt the cycle of corruption and state capture.
The Revolutionary Committees were Gaddafi’s ruthless tool of terror, not popular democracy. These handpicked squads turned Libya into a surveillance state, spying on citizens, intimidating People’s Congresses, and enforcing ideological purity through mass arrests, extrajudicial killings, and revolutionary courts with no appeal. Acting as vigilante enforcers of the Green Book and Gaddafi’s cult of personality, they crushed dissent until the regime’s final days in 2011. Far from empowering the masses, they delivered fear, tribal favoritism, and totalitarian control. A chilling look at how “people’s power” became dictatorship.
This report from The Sentry examines the alarming expansion of kleptocracy in Libya, where ruling elites and armed groups systematically plunder national resources. The text details how the country’s fragmented banking system and the absence of a unified budget have allowed a small group of unelected power brokers to exploit state wealth for personal gain. This corruption is deeply rooted in the legacy of the Qadhafi regime, yet it has accelerated as rival factions in the east and west utilize black market networks and money laundering to bypass financial oversight. The authors argue that international policies focusing solely on avoiding armed conflict have inadvertently emboldened these corrupt leaders, thereby weakening essential institutions like the National Oil Corporation. Ultimately, the document warns that without urgent reforms to increase accountability and transparency, the ongoing looting of the state will lead to further institutional collapse and a high risk of renewed civil war.
This 2024 PhD thesis by Almabrok Alakhal investigates the evolution of urban identity in historical Libyan cities, using Tripoli as a primary case study. The research explores how globalization, mass migration, and shifting socio-cultural values have transformed the traditional Arabic-Islamic urban fabric. By analyzing legal systems, economic factors, and resident perspectives, the author identifies the root causes of urban decay and the loss of architectural heritage. The source provides a holistic framework intended to assist urban planners and architects in balancing modern development with the preservation of cultural character. Ultimately, the work contributes a unique non-Western perspective to the academic discourse on urban transformation and social cohesion.
This 2026 United Nations report examines the evolving landscape of narcotics trafficking in Libya and the broader North African region between 2020 and 2024. It highlights Libya’s transition from a simple transit point to a pivotal regional hub for the storage and distribution of cocaine, cannabis, and synthetic drugs. The text attributes this expansion to weakened state institutions, pervasive corruption, and the involvement of armed groups who utilize drug revenues to maintain political influence. Furthermore, the analysis explores how economic instability and social marginalization have increased both local drug consumption and community reliance on illicit trade. Ultimately, the document provides strategic recommendations for international cooperation to address these security threats and stabilize the Mediterranean corridor.
This report analyzes systemic citizenship forgery in Libya based on official prosecutorial data released between late 2023 and early 2024. It documents how criminal networks and corrupt officials manipulated civil registries to grant thousands of fraudulent identities to foreign nationals. These illicit activities have undermined national security, allowing individuals to access state subsidies and, in some cases, facilitating the movement of international terrorists. Consequently, the integrity of the Libyan passport has collapsed, leading to severe global travel restrictions and high visa rejection rates for legitimate citizens. The findings suggest that only comprehensive institutional reform and biometric upgrades can restore the credibility of the nation’s identity system.
This 2026 report by The Sentry examines the systemic mismanagement and corruption within the Libyan Investment Authority (LIA), Libya’s sovereign wealth fund. Although many of its billions were frozen by the United Nations following the 2011 revolution, the investigation reveals that the LIA still actively manages approximately half of its $62.85 billion in assets. Through case studies in the United Kingdom, South Africa, and Liberia, the text illustrates how high-value real estate and businesses have been neglected or exploited by politically connected individuals. For instance, a London office building sat vacant for a decade, resulting in nearly $79 million in lost rent, while other assets were siphoned off through cronyism and offshore secrecy. Ultimately, the authors argue against lifting international sanctions, claiming that the LIA’s public image of reform is merely an illusion of order masking deep governance failures.
This United Nations report documents how Libyan armed groups have established a new status quo by infiltrating state institutions through systemic violence and economic coercion. These factions have secured total impunity, enabling them to seize control of Libya’s petroleum sector and divert billions in oil revenue to private interests. Despite a standing arms embargo, both eastern and western forces have formed alliances to facilitate the continuous illegal import of military hardware and foreign fighters. The document highlights a growing criminal ecosystem where terrorist recruitment and sophisticated fuel smuggling networks operate without judicial oversight. Consequently, human rights violations and attacks on the electoral process remain widespread, as accountability mechanisms are rendered entirely ineffective. Together, these factors reinforce regional instability and transform Libya into a primary logistical hub for neighboring conflicts.