Technique T0152.009: Software Delivery Platform

Summary: Apple’s App Store, Google’s Google Play Store, and Valve’s Steam are examples of Software Delivery Platforms.

Software Delivery Platforms are designed to enable users to download programmes uploaded to the platform. Software can be purchased, or downloaded for free.

Some Software Delivery Platforms require users to have an Account before they can download software, and software they acquire becomes associated with the account (i.e. the account owns a licence to download the software). Some platforms don’t require users to make accounts before downloading software.

Actors may create their own Software Delivery Platform on a Domain they own.
Belongs to tactic stage: TA07

Incident	Descriptions given for this incident
I00105 Gaming the System: The Use of Gaming-Adjacent Communication, Game and Mod Platforms by Extremist Actors	In this report, researchers look at online platforms commonly used by people who play videogames, looking at how these platforms can contribute to radicalisation of gamers: Indie DB [is a platform that serves] to present indie games, which are titles from independent, small developer teams, which can be discussed and downloaded [Indie DB]. [...] [On Indie DB we] found antisemitic, Islamist, sexist and other discriminatory content during the exploration. Both games and comments were located that made positive references to National Socialism. Radicalised users seem to use the opportunities to network, create groups, and communicate in forums. In addition, a number of member profiles with graphic propaganda content could be located. We found several games with propagandistic content advertised on the platform, which caused apparently radicalised users to form a fan community around those games. For example, there are titles such as the antisemitic Fursan Al-Aqsa: The Knights of the Al-Aqsa Mosque, which has won the Best Hardcore Game award at the Game Connection America 2024 Game Development Awards and which has received antisemitic praise on its review page. In the game, players need to target members of the Israeli Defence Forces, and attacks by Palestinian terrorist groups such as Hamas or Lions’ Den can be re-enacted. These include bomb attacks, beheadings and the re-enactment of the terrorist attack in Israel on 7 October 2023. We, therefore, deem Indie DB to be relevant for further analyses of extremist activities in digital gaming spaces. Indie DB is an online software delivery platform on which users can create groups, and participate in discussion forums (T0152.009: Software Delivery Platform, T0151.002: Online Community Group, T0151.009: Legacy Online Forum Platform). The platform hosted games which allowed players to reenact terrorist attacks (T0147.001: Game Asset)., In this report, researchers look at online platforms commonly used by people who play videogames, looking at how these platforms can contribute to radicalisation of gamers: Gamebanana and Mod DB are so-called modding platforms that allow users to post their modifications of existing (popular) games. In the process of modding, highly radicalised content can be inserted into games that did not originally contain it. All of these platforms also have communication functions and customisable profiles. [...] During the explorations, several modifications with hateful themes were located, including right-wing extremist, racist, antisemitic and Islamist content. This includes mods that make it possible to play as terrorists or National Socialists. So-called “skins” (textures that change the appearance of models in the game) for characters from first-person shooters are particularly popular and contain references to National Socialism or Islamist terrorist organisations. Although some of this content could be justified with reference to historical accuracy and realism, the user profiles of the creators and commentators often reveal political motivations. Names with neo-Nazi codes or the use of avatars showing members of the Wehrmacht or the Waffen SS, for example, indicate a certain degree of positive appreciation or fascination with right-wing ideology, as do affirmations in the comment columns. Mod DB in particular has attracted public attention in the past. For example, a mod for the game Half-Life 2 made it possible to play a school shooting with the weapons used during the attacks at Columbine High School (1999) and Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University (2007). Antisemitic memes and jokes are shared in several groups on the platform. It seems as if users partially connect with each other because of shared political views. There were also indications that Islamist and right-wing extremist users network on the basis of shared views on women, Jews or homosexuals. In addition to relevant usernames and avatars, we found profiles featuring picture galleries, backgrounds and banners dedicated to the SS. Extremist propaganda and radicalisation processes on modding platforms have not been explored yet, but our exploration suggests these digital spaces to be highly relevant for our field. Mod DB is a platform which allows users to upload mods for games, which other users can download (T0152.009: Software Delivery Platform, T0147.002: Game Mod Asset).
I00123 The Extreme Right on Steam	Analysis of communities on the gaming platform Steam showed that groups who are known to have engaged in acts of terrorism used Steam to host social communities (T0152.009: Software Delivery Platform, T0151.002: Online Community Group): The first is a Finnish-language group which was set up to promote the Nordic Resistance Movement (NRM). NRM are the only group in the sample examined by ISD known to have engaged in terrorist attacks. Swedish members of the group conducted a series of bombings in Gothenburg in 2016 and 2017, and several Finnish members are under investigation in relation to both violent attacks and murder. The NRM Steam group does not host content related to gaming, and instead seems to act as a hub for the movement. The group’s overview section contains a link to the official NRM website, and users are encouraged to find like-minded people to join the group. The group is relatively small, with 87 members, but at the time of writing, it appeared to be active and in use. Interestingly, although the group is in Finnish language, it has members in common with the English language channels identified in this analysis. This suggests that Steam may help facilitate international exchange between right-wing extremists., ISD conducted an investigation into the usage of social groups on Steam. Steam is an online platform used to buy and sell digital games, and includes the Steam community feature, which “allows users to find friends and join groups and discussion forums, while also offering in-game voice and text chat”. Actors have used Steam’s social capabilities to enable online harm campaigns: One function of these Steam groups is the organisation of ‘raids’ – coordinated trolling activity against their political opponents. An example of this can be seen in a white power music group sharing a link to an Israeli Steam group, encouraging other members to “help me raid this juden [German word for Jew] group”. The comments section of said target group show that neo-Nazi and antisemitic comments were consistently posted in the group just two minutes after the instruction had been posted in the extremist group, highlighting the swiftness with which racially motivated harassment can be directed online. Threat actors used social groups on Steam to organise harassment of targets (T0152.009: Software Delivery Platform, T0151.002: Online Community Group, T0049.005: Conduct Swarming, T0048: Harass)., ISD conducted an investigation into the usage of social groups on Steam. Steam is an online platform used to buy and sell digital games, and includes the Steam community feature, which “allows users to find friends and join groups and discussion forums, while also offering in-game voice and text chat”. Actors have used Steam’s social capabilities to enable online harm campaigns: A number of groups were observed encouraging members to join conversations on outside platforms. These include links to Telegram channels connected to white supremacist marches, and media outlets, forums and Discord servers run by neo-Nazis. [...] This off-ramping activity demonstrates how rather than sitting in isolation, Steam fits into the wider extreme right wing online ecosystem, with Steam groups acting as hubs for communities and organizations which span multiple platforms. Accordingly, although the platform appears to fill a specific role in the building and strengthening of communities with similar hobbies and interests, it is suggested that analysis seeking to determine the risk of these communities should focus on their activity across platforms Social Groups on Steam were used to drive new people to other neo-Nazi controlled community assets (T0122: Direct Users to Alternative Platforms, T0152.009: Software Delivery Platform, T0151.002: Online Community Group).

Incident

Descriptions given for this incident

I00105 Gaming the System: The Use of Gaming-Adjacent Communication, Game and Mod Platforms by Extremist Actors

In this report, researchers look at online platforms commonly used by people who play videogames, looking at how these platforms can contribute to radicalisation of gamers:

Indie DB [is a platform that serves] to present indie games, which are titles from independent, small developer teams, which can be discussed and downloaded [Indie DB].

[...]

[On Indie DB we] found antisemitic, Islamist, sexist and other discriminatory content during the exploration. Both games and comments were located that made positive references to National Socialism. Radicalised users seem to use the opportunities to network, create groups, and communicate in forums. In addition, a number of member profiles with graphic propaganda content could be located. We found several games with propagandistic content advertised on the platform, which caused apparently radicalised users to form a fan community around those games. For example, there are titles such as the antisemitic Fursan Al-Aqsa: The Knights of the Al-Aqsa Mosque, which has won the Best Hardcore Game award at the Game Connection America 2024 Game Development Awards and which has received antisemitic praise on its review page. In the game, players need to target members of the Israeli Defence Forces, and attacks by Palestinian terrorist groups such as Hamas or Lions’ Den can be re-enacted. These include bomb attacks, beheadings and the re-enactment of the terrorist attack in Israel on 7 October 2023. We, therefore, deem Indie DB to be relevant for further analyses of extremist activities in digital gaming spaces.

Indie DB is an online software delivery platform on which users can create groups, and participate in discussion forums (T0152.009: Software Delivery Platform, T0151.002: Online Community Group, T0151.009: Legacy Online Forum Platform). The platform hosted games which allowed players to reenact terrorist attacks (T0147.001: Game Asset)., In this report, researchers look at online platforms commonly used by people who play videogames, looking at how these platforms can contribute to radicalisation of gamers:

Gamebanana and Mod DB are so-called modding platforms that allow users to post their modifications of existing (popular) games. In the process of modding, highly radicalised content can be inserted into games that did not originally contain it. All of these platforms also have communication functions and customisable profiles.

[...]

During the explorations, several modifications with hateful themes were located, including right-wing extremist, racist, antisemitic and Islamist content. This includes mods that make it possible to play as terrorists or National Socialists. So-called “skins” (textures that change the appearance of models in the game) for characters from first-person shooters are particularly popular and contain references to National Socialism or Islamist terrorist organisations. Although some of this content could be justified with reference to historical accuracy and realism, the user profiles of the creators and commentators often reveal political motivations. Names with neo-Nazi codes or the use of avatars showing members of the Wehrmacht or the Waffen SS, for example, indicate a certain degree of positive appreciation or fascination with right-wing ideology, as do affirmations in the comment columns.

Mod DB in particular has attracted public attention in the past. For example, a mod for the game Half-Life 2 made it possible to play a school shooting with the weapons used during the attacks at Columbine High School (1999) and Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University (2007). Antisemitic memes and jokes are shared in several groups on the platform. It seems as if users partially connect with each other because of shared political views. There were also indications that Islamist and right-wing extremist users network on the basis of shared views on women, Jews or homosexuals. In addition to relevant usernames and avatars, we found profiles featuring picture galleries, backgrounds and banners dedicated to the SS. Extremist propaganda and radicalisation processes on modding platforms have not been explored yet, but our exploration suggests these digital spaces to be highly relevant for our field.

Mod DB is a platform which allows users to upload mods for games, which other users can download (T0152.009: Software Delivery Platform, T0147.002: Game Mod Asset).

I00123 The Extreme Right on Steam

Analysis of communities on the gaming platform Steam showed that groups who are known to have engaged in acts of terrorism used Steam to host social communities (T0152.009: Software Delivery Platform, T0151.002: Online Community Group):

The first is a Finnish-language group which was set up to promote the Nordic Resistance Movement (NRM). NRM are the only group in the sample examined by ISD known to have engaged in terrorist attacks. Swedish members of the group conducted a series of bombings in Gothenburg in 2016 and 2017, and several Finnish members are under investigation in relation to both violent attacks and murder.

The NRM Steam group does not host content related to gaming, and instead seems to act as a hub for the movement. The group’s overview section contains a link to the official NRM website, and users are encouraged to find like-minded people to join the group. The group is relatively small, with 87 members, but at the time of writing, it appeared to be active and in use. Interestingly, although the group is in Finnish language, it has members in common with the English language channels identified in this analysis. This suggests that Steam may help facilitate international exchange between right-wing extremists., ISD conducted an investigation into the usage of social groups on Steam. Steam is an online platform used to buy and sell digital games, and includes the Steam community feature, which “allows users to find friends and join groups and discussion forums, while also offering in-game voice and text chat”. Actors have used Steam’s social capabilities to enable online harm campaigns:

One function of these Steam groups is the organisation of ‘raids’ – coordinated trolling activity against their political opponents. An example of this can be seen in a white power music group sharing a link to an Israeli Steam group, encouraging other members to “help me raid this juden [German word for Jew] group”. The comments section of said target group show that neo-Nazi and antisemitic comments were consistently posted in the group just two minutes after the instruction had been posted in the extremist group, highlighting the swiftness with which racially motivated harassment can be directed online.

Threat actors used social groups on Steam to organise harassment of targets (T0152.009: Software Delivery Platform, T0151.002: Online Community Group, T0049.005: Conduct Swarming, T0048: Harass)., ISD conducted an investigation into the usage of social groups on Steam. Steam is an online platform used to buy and sell digital games, and includes the Steam community feature, which “allows users to find friends and join groups and discussion forums, while also offering in-game voice and text chat”. Actors have used Steam’s social capabilities to enable online harm campaigns:

A number of groups were observed encouraging members to join conversations on outside platforms. These include links to Telegram channels connected to white supremacist marches, and media outlets, forums and Discord servers run by neo-Nazis.

[...]

This off-ramping activity demonstrates how rather than sitting in isolation, Steam fits into the wider extreme right wing online ecosystem, with Steam groups acting as hubs for communities and organizations which span multiple platforms. Accordingly, although the platform appears to fill a specific role in the building and strengthening of communities with similar hobbies and interests, it is suggested that analysis seeking to determine the risk of these communities should focus on their activity across platforms

Social Groups on Steam were used to drive new people to other neo-Nazi controlled community assets (T0122: Direct Users to Alternative Platforms, T0152.009: Software Delivery Platform, T0151.002: Online Community Group).

Counters	Response types

DO NOT EDIT ABOVE THIS LINE - PLEASE ADD NOTES BELOW

9.4 KiB Raw Blame History Unescape Escape

Technique T0152.009: Software Delivery Platform

9.4 KiB

Raw Blame History