US psyop photo fakery proof

A video of al-Zawahiri shows him in a TV studio. Last year we were baffled how this globally wanted man was capable to find a TV studio without being arrested. Krawetz explains it easily: The studio was virtual, the background was made from 5 different composite videos.









Neal Krawetz, a researcher and computer security consultant, gave an interesting presentation today at the BlackHat security conference in Las Vegas about analyzing digital photographs and video images for alterations and enhancements.

Using a program he wrote (and provided on the conference CD-ROM) Krawetz could print out the quantization tables in a JPEG file (that indicate how the image was compressed) and determine the last tool that created the image -- that is, the make and model of the camera if the image is original or the version of Photoshop that was used to alter and re-save the image.

Comparing that data to the metadata embedded in the image he could determine if the photo was original or had been re-saved or altered. Then, using error level analysis of an image he could determine what were the last parts of an image that were added or modified.

Error level analysis involves re-saving an image at a known error rate (90%, for example), then subtracting the re-saved image from the original image to see every pixel that changed and the degree to which it changed. The modified versions will indicate a different error level than the original image.

You can see the difference in the two pictures (below right) of a bookshelf. Krawetz added some books and a toy dinosaur to the original image -- both of which show up clearly in the second picture after he's completed the error level analysis.

But more interesting were the examples Krawetz gave of al Qaeda images. Krawetz took an image from a 2006 al Qaeda video of Ayman al-Zawahiri (above right), a senior member of the terrorist organization. The image shows al-Zawahiri sitting in front of a desk and banner with writing on it. But after conducting his error analysis Krawetz was able to determine that al-Zawahiri's image was superimposed in front of the background -- and was most likely videotaped in front of a black sheet.

Krawetz was also able to determine that the writing on the banner behind al-Zawahiri's head was added to the image afterward. In the second picture above showing the results of the error level analysis, the light clusters on the image indicate areas of the image that were added or changed. The subtitles and logos in the upper right and lower left corners (IntelCenter is an organization that monitors terrorist activity and As-Sahab is the video production branch of al Qaeda) were all added at the same time all have the same error level, while the banner writing was added at a different time has a different error level, likely around the same time that al-Zawahiri was added, Krawetz says. (See 2nd update below.)

Even more interesting is the analysis he conducted on another 2006 video image of Azzam al-Amriki showing him in a white room with a desk, computer and some books in the background. Error level analysis shows that the books in the lower right-hand corner of the image have a different error level than the items in the rest of the image, suggesting they were added later. In fact the books register the same error level as the subtitles and As-Sahab logo.

Further analysis also shows that the books have a different color range than the rest of the image, indicating that they came from an alternate source. Krawetz wasn't able to determine what the books were but says if they were religious books, they might have simply been added to lend authority and reverence to the video. It's also possible, he says, that such details could be added to a picture to send a message in code to al Qaeda operatives.

UPDATE: For those of you who asked for Krawetz's program, you can view the source code here.

You can also view his BlackHat presentation here (PDF). For those of you who think the software is better used to catch media manipulations of photos and video, Krawetz did present examples of these in his talk.

And to "Ann" who commented that she doubts al Qaeda would put subtitles on a video, As-Sahab, the logo in the lower left corner of the two al Qaeda videos is the production arm of al Qaeda. Yes, the organization has its own media production team.

2ND UPDATE: I quoted Krawetz as saying that the evidence indicates that the IntelCenter and As-Sahab logos were added to the al-Zawahiri video at the same time. Ben Venzke of IntelCenter says his organization didn't add the As-Sahab logo. He points out that just because the error levels are the same for two items in an image, that doesn't prove they were added at the same time, only that the compression was the same for both items when they were added.

3rd UPDATE: I was finally able to reach Neal Krawetz at the BlackHat conference to respond to the questions about the IntelCenter and As-Sahab logos (Krawetz doesn't have a cell phone on him so finding him at the conference took a while). He now says that the error levels on the IntelCenter and As-Sahab logos are different and that the IntelCenter logo was added after the As-Sahab logo. However, in a taped interview I conducted with him after his presentation, he said the logos were the same error levels and that this indicated they were added at the same time. Additionally, after I'd written the first blog entry about his presentation, I asked him to read it to make sure everything was correct. He did so while sitting next to me and said it was all correct. He apologizes now for the error and the confusion it caused.

Compiling instructions:
gcc jpegquality.c -o jpegquality
so one needs only any linux, apt-get or rpm
- gcc ( the GNU C Compiler )
- make
- binutils
eventual the kernel-source
very simple to set up .. after compiling like above the app is used in a console window with
jpegquality file.jpg

Disinformation trolls frequently speak of life experiences that are fictional, consider themselves experts on everything and have a "been there, done that" attitude that covers up their flawed thinking. Other characteristics are flippant dismissals of overwhelming evidence. Dishonest credentials. Near first to post when a major story hits. And excellent writers.

Basically, these damage control moles are the the absolute scum of the planet because they obscure the truth by confusing the public.

Use your mind people. These videos were allowed to be faked, either by As-Sahab or by IntelCenter. Why else would America allow it, if it was so flaming obvious that it was a forgery to begin with?

Folks -- IntelCenter.com ****SELLS THESE AL QAEDA VIDEOS!!!!!!!!!!!***** Do you people not understand what is going on here? IntelCenter is PROFITING from these videos. Hit the website if you don't believe me. Here's a recent example: al-Qaeda Videos Vol. 78 DVD:
Legitimate Demands, A Message from the
Mujahid Brother Adam Yahiye Gadahn (Azzam) -- ONLY $39.99!

Three *US based* organizations are ALWAYS the one's who find these videos on the Internet, and then they magically appear on abcnews.com, usually under Brian Ross' blog. The three organization are: IntelCenter.com, siteinstitute.org, and lauramansfield.com. Interestingly enough, all three SELL the very same terrorist videos that only they can seem to "find". Hit the websites if you don't believe me. Something is ROTTEN in Denmark, and I dearly hope the FBI is investigating these organization. This blog has uncovered a extremely interesting fact that the Al Sahab and Intel Center logos were added to the videos as the same time, apparently
suggesting some tie between Al Sahab and Intel Center.

Why is it not mentioned in the article that this so-called "Al Qaida terrorist" Azzam al-Amriki's real name is Adam Pearlman / Adam Gadahn, and he is the grandson of a member of the board of the ADL (Jewish Anti-Defamation League)? He is a most suspect person, not suspect of being a terrorist but a fake boogeyman to instill fear in people. Come on now, A JEWISH Al Qaida leader? Gimme a break. Just look it up with Google etc.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adam_Yahiye_Gadahn

If you want to find the UNWATERMARKED versions and not pay for the videos there are tons of places to download them. If you want raw versions, go to http://clearinghouse.infovlad.net/ for links every day from various terrorist groups - and that's just one place that aggregates them on a regular basis.

I just got back from Black Hat and Defcon, where I did not have Internet access.

There have been a few concerns about this interview with Kim Zetter. Please keep in mind that Kim did not attend my talk. During my interview, she jumped around between questions about different analysis methods and the pictures I used as examples. There was definitely some confusion during the interview.

With regards to the IntelCenter... The IntelCenter is an excellent resource for tracking terrorist activities. When organizations such as Al Qaeda (via As-Sahab) release their videos, the IntelCenter takes the videos, cleans them up, and inserts their logo into the pictures. The IntelCenter performs their edits AFTER As-Sahab. This is clearly stated on their site: http://www.intelcenter.com/audio-video/index.html "We... enhance the quality of video and audio...". I also emphasized this point in my talk, slides, and associated paper. In my presentation, I analyzed one IntelCenter image as well as the pre-IntelCenter image.

I have noticed many of the comments to this article discuss the program: jpegquality. This tool takes a JPEG and displays two things: (1) the quantization tables and (2) the estimated quality of the table. For example, if you save a JPEG at 85%, then the program should show an estimated quality of 85%. The quantization tables can be used for quantization table fingerprinting and the quality can be used with other techniques, such as PCA, to identify image resaves.

Finally, my blog (http://www.hackerfactor.com/blog/) includes some image analysis examples (look for the Playboy and Harry Potter entries). In the near future, I will be providing other examples.