For example, big franchises like Star Wars are a way of expanding a country's cultural influence over others—it's called soft ...

The banner at the top has a kid with a lightsaber next to the words, "Star Wars: Beyond the Unknown." Subtle, CIA. The site was unearthed by security researcher Ciro Santilli.

CIA bosses have run fake 'Star Wars' fan sites, as well as a handful of others, to communicate with spies around the world. Sign up for your daily dose of dope.

Lucasfilm. Here’s where things get dark, however. Aside from this one Star Wars site, there were other pop culture and gaming websites used by the CIA in this manner. Eventually, Iranian ...

As it turned out, the Star Wars page was just one star in a galaxy of CIA-run covert communication sites. There were comedy pages, extreme sports sites, and even a Brazilian music fan page.

Research and reporting on open-source information has revealed that the CIA ran a network that included a Star Wars fan site to cultivate sources. By Alex Newhouse on June 3, ...

More than 30 CIA informants in Iran and China were reportedly exposed and executed between 2011 and 2012 because of the CIA’s biggest tech blunder ever ...

REVEALED: The fake websites including a Star Wars fan page the CIA used to communicate with spies around the world. By MELISSA KOENIG FOR DAILYMAIL.COM. Published: 00:09 EDT, 27 May 2025 | Updated ...

The CIA ran a series of web sites in the 2000s. Most of them were about news, finance, and other relatively boring topics, and they spanned 29 languages. And they all had a bit of a hidden feature:… ...

CIA disguised espionage communications as Star Wars fan site A Brazilian security researcher identifies over 350 CIA cover websites – Germany, France and Spain were apparently also targeted.

Here’s where things get dark, however. Aside from this one Star Wars site, there were other pop culture and gaming websites used by the CIA in this manner. Eventually, Iranian authorities ...