May 28, 2025, 9:34 am | Read time: 3 minutes
The stuff of Hollywood movies: The CIA reportedly ran 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. However, as it has now been discovered, 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 United States, which has become something of a modern myth thanks to numerous films, series, and books. The idea of covert operations and espionage likely comes to mind for many. The notion that the CIA also ran a Star Wars site fits well with this image, even if it seems quite curious.
According to a report by “404 Media,” security researcher Ciro Santilli claims to have discovered this. The site in question was accessible at “starwarsweb.net” and disguised itself as a regular fan portal dedicated to 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 reportedly instructed to simply enter passwords into the search bars of the respective site, triggering a supposedly secure login process for CIA communication. Outwardly, it appeared as if they were merely searching for information about their hobbies.
International Network of Fake Websites
The CIA’s Star Wars site is not an isolated case. Santilli’s research reportedly uncovered an entire secret communication network, 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 even led to the deaths of informants in China.
Technical Weaknesses Led to Discovery
According to Santilli, the Star Wars site operated by the CIA, as well as other examples, were not well programmed. In particular, the use of so-called sequential IP addresses made it easier to identify additional 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 discovery 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.