CYBER THREAT ANALYSIS Figure 1 : Internet connectivity dropped to 13% overnight. (Source: Netblocks.org) Due to this, Myanmar netizens posted on forums that they were looking at alternatives to bypass the internet shutdown. One such alternative, an application called Bridgefy, was downloaded approximately 600,000 times in the hours after the coup was announced. Bridgefy is an offline messaging application that uses Bluetooth mesh networks to transmit communications, allowing for users within a certain proximity to exchange messages without needing internet connection. The application rose to prominence after it was used in the 2019 pro-democracy protests in Hong Kong. Tor Traffic Spikes Following Internet Crackdowns Recent increases in Tor browser use in Myanmar reveal that citizens are turning to the dark web to bypass censorship and hide their internet traffic from the military regime. Tor, or The Onion Router, is a browser that enables users to access the anonymized underground internet, also known as the “dark web”. Although the dark web is known for hosting criminal activity because of its inherently anonymous nature, the dark web is also used by censored populations that seek freedom of information. Tor and dark web use was historically low in Myanmar; however, in February 2021, Insikt Group observed a spike in Tor use in Myanmar, which is likely a direct response to the new censorship and internet control policies implemented by the Tatmadaw. Prior to the coup, Tor use was virtually nonexistent. However, as the junta increased restrictions on the population and activists began promoting the use of Tor on various social media platforms, use jumped from nearly zero to over 3,500 Burmese users between February 1 and February 18. 3 Figure 2: Graphics used to raise awareness of Myanmar’s nightly internet blockage. (Source: Facebook) CTA-2021-0324 Recorded Future ® | www.recordedfuture.com