May 29, 2025, 6:34 am | Read time: 3 minutes
It’s the stuff of Hollywood movies: The CIA is said to have run a fan site for Star Wars. TECHBOOK explains the background.
When something becomes very successful, it doesn’t take long for fans to create their own websites to pay tribute to their favorite bands, movies, or series. The internet is full of such portals where enthusiasts passionately exchange ideas. Unsurprisingly, this also applies to Star Wars. But as it turns out, there was at least one fan site that was actually something entirely different. The CIA operated a Star Wars site to communicate with agents worldwide.
This was the CIA’s Star Wars site
The CIA (Central Intelligence Agency) is the foreign intelligence service of the U.S., which has become something of a modern myth thanks to numerous films, series, and books. Thoughts of covert operations and espionage likely come to mind. The idea that the CIA also ran a Star Wars site fits well with this image, even if it seems quite curious.
Security researcher Ciro Santilli reportedly discovered this, according to a report by “404 Media.” The site in question was accessible at “starwarsweb.net” and disguised itself as a regular fan portal about the famous space saga. Visitors could find reviews, links to merchandise, and other content. So far, so harmless. In reality, the CIA used the platform to communicate with informants abroad.
These informants were supposed to simply enter passwords into the search bars of the respective site to trigger a supposedly secure login process for CIA communication. Outwardly, it appeared as if they were just searching for information about their hobbies.
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International network of fake websites
The CIA’s Star Wars site is not an isolated case. Santilli reportedly discovered an entire secret communication network during his research, which also included portals about comedians, extreme sports, and even Brazilian music.
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This system of fake websites was reportedly part of an even larger network that, according to reports, was discovered by Iranian authorities more than ten years ago. At that time, it allegedly led to the deaths of informants in China.
Technical weaknesses led to exposure
The Star Wars site operated by the CIA and other examples were reportedly not well programmed, according to Santilli. In particular, the use of so-called sequential IP addresses made it easier to identify other fake websites once one was found. Additionally, analyzing the HTML code and using automation helped bypass security measures.
The CIA has discontinued the system of fake portals. Allegedly, their exposure already led to the compromise of informants. In a way, they are quite open about it: If you now enter starwarsweb.net in the browser address bar, you are directly redirected to the official CIA website–confirming the connection between the URL and the intelligence agency.