CYBER-TERRORISM

Cyber-terrorism

Cyber-terrorism

Introduction

The cyber-terrorism comprise of violent actions that strike terror carried out by one or more people on the Internet or through the improper use of communications technologies.

These groups prepare their shares through encrypted messages through email, preventing the penetration of the security agencies of states. In addition, there are websites where these terrorist groups get to know their history, assumptions, and goals. Some of these groups are KKK in the United States, ETA in Spain, neo-Nazi groups, in Belgium and Holland, and the Japan Supreme Truth. Two basic concepts, Terrorism and the Internet combine to create a new weapon called Cyber-terrorism (infowar-Cyber-war). Cyber-terrorists are the people who want to radically, and entirely abrupt the democratic form of governments and established social system (Verton, 2003).

Cyber-terrorism is a low-cost weapon. However, it requires highly trained and dedicated people. At the same time, it remains difficult to track and cause damage to the enemy. Other than the traditional point of view of war and tactical, military doctrine, cyberwar and cyber-terrorism incorporates other variables than the traditional battlegrounds (land, air and sea). These include two new fields which are the cyber-space and information.

Discussion

Risk Analysis

A cyber-terrorist could remotely change the pressure of the gas valve failures causing and triggering a series of explosions and fires. In the same way, the grid becomes increasingly vulnerable. A cyber-terrorist could attack the next generation of air traffic systems and have two large civilian aircrafts collide. This is a realistic scenario, since the time that cyber-terrorism could also interfere sensors inside the cockpit. Similar maneuvers can also take place with the railroads (Janczewski & Colarik, 2008).

A cyber-terrorist could interfere with banks, financial transactions and money exchanges, as well. Thus, the inhabitants of the country lose their confidence in the economic system.

A cyber-terrorist could alter the formulas of medicines or pharmaceutical products, causing many casualties. Those responsible for ensuring the security of the nation will not be noticed or may cancel the cyber-terrorism, which will probably be on the other side of the world.

Unfortunately, cyber-terrorism is not science fiction. All these scenarios can take place today. As most of us know, some of these incidents have already occurred in several nations.

On the other hand, most of these events may occur in the near future. Worldwide, countries are concerned about cyber-terrorism, and for this very reason, there are two trends: those who support the formation of a "cyber-" that transcends borders and those who lean in favor of improving international cooperation.

The headquarters of Al Qaeda in Afghanistan have communication equipments through which the Internet served as a means of logistical support in the diversification of the movement and protection of the finances of Al Qaeda. The recent cyber-attacks on the United States have been aimed at attacking the very infrastructure of the Internet through DoS attacks (Denial of Service) to the Web servers (Gustin, 2007). The most sophisticated of these attacks occurred on October 2001 and affected 9 of the 13 major root servers on the ...