The Taliban controlled most of Afghanistan from 1996 to 2001 in what can only be described as a brutal regime. Among other things, the Taliban banned Internet access under their rule. After the Taliban were removed from power in 2002 Internet services returned to Afghanistan, with 22% of the population in Afghanistan having Internet access as of January 2021.
This talk will briefly look at the history of the Internet in Afghanistan as well as what the Internet looked like in August 2021 before the Taliban took over. It will also look at how the Internet has changed since the takeover. Specifically looking at structural changes, Internet traffic, DNS changes and changes in C2 and other malicious traffic as well as information from on the ground sources about changes the Taliban are making to Internet infrastructure in Afghanistan.