Cyberterrorism

Cyberterrorism

Introduction

Cyberterrorism is the convergence of terrorism and cyberspace. It is generally

understood to mean unlawful attacks and threats of attack against computers,

networks, and the information stored therein. Possibly to intimidate, influence a

government or its people to further political or social gain. To qualify as

cyberterrorism, an attack should result in violence against persons or property, or

generate fear. Attacks that lead to death or bodily injury, explosions, plane

crashes, water contamination, or severe economic loss would be examples, serious

attacks against important infrastructures could be acts of cyberterrorism,

depending on their impact. This essay will illustrate and analyse the main issues

and ideas behind cyberterrorism. This will include information that has led to the

internet being used in a mailicous way, ethical issues, paradigms that

cyberterrorism follows, motivations and incidents that have occurred in the past.

One FBI spokespersons definition is-

'Cyber terrorism' means intentional use or threat of use, without legally

recognized authority, of violence, disruption, or interference against cyber

systems, when it is likely that such use would result in death or injury of a

person or persons, substantial damage to physical property, civil disorder, or

significant economic harm'.

Cyber attacks and effects

Cyberspace is constantly under assault. Cyber spies, thieves, saboteurs, and thrill

seekers break into computer systems, steal personal data and trade secrets,

vandalize Web sites, disrupt service, sabotage data and systems, launch computer

viruses and worms, conduct fraudulent transactions, and harass individuals and

companies. These attacks are facilitated with increasingly powerful and easy-to-use

software tools, which are readily available for free from thousands of Web sites on

the Internet. Many of the attacks are serious and costly. The ILOVEYOU virus for

example, was estimated to have infected tens of millions of users and cost billions

of dollars in damage.

In light of these serious threats from cyberspace, it is worth noting that the

discourse on cyberterrorism is something that – fortunately has not been

carried out in its most destructive capabilities. It is, therefore, d...

... middle of paper ...

...ital

world today. In addition to cyberattacks against digital data and systems, many

people are being terrorized on the Internet today with threats of physical violence. On

line stalking, death threats, and hate messages are abundant. These crimes are serious

and must be addressed. In so doing, governments around the world will be in a better

position to police and respond to cyberterrorism if and when the threat becomes

imminent.

Sources

Author Unknown. "Cyber Terrorism: Understanding Cyber Threats"

https://www.hamiltoncountyohio-tewg.org/cyber_terrorism/

Aldo Leon. "The New Age of Cyberterrorism"

http://www.sabianet.com/Res_The%20New%20Age%20of%20Cyberterrorism.pdf

Dorothy E. Denning. "Cyberterrorism" http://palmer.wellesley.edu/~ivolic/pdf/USEM/Cyberterror-Denning.pdf

Mohamed Chawki. "A Critical Look at the Regulation of Cybercrime"

http://www.crime-research.org/library/Critical.doc.

Robert Malý. "Virtual communities and cyber terrorism"

http://www.unob.cz/spi/2007/presentace/2007-May-03/06-Jirovsky_CyberTer.ppt.

Peter Reilly. "How Real is the Threat of Cyber Terrorism?" http://www2.lhric.org/security/desk/letter8.html