...12/31/13 Cyber Terroism Cyber terrorism is a combination of two terms Cyber and terrorism. The word "Cyber" is derived from "cybernetic", a word from Greek "kybernetes", meaning "To steer" and the term "terrorism" comes from French terrorisme, from Latin word 'terror', "great fear", "dread", related to the Latin verb terrere, "to frighten". Cyber terrorism denotes unlawful attacks and threats of attack against computers, networks and information stored therein to intimidate or coerce a government or its people for propagating hidden political or unlawful social and religious agendas. These attacks result in violence against persons or property or cause public unrest. Few examples could be explosions, plane crashes and severe losses. Terrorists are known to use internet to prepare the schemes, raise funds and spread cyber terrorism. For instance, Razmi Yousef who was a key person behind World Trade Centre attack had details schemes to destroy United States airliners encrypted files in his laptop computer. We know that Cyber terrorism is the crime that has emerged in recent times, to use the medium of Internet to terrorize the minds of citizens. Admirably, the Laws through the implementation of the Information technology Act, 2000, is one of the efficient steps taken towards the creation of punishment of these kinds of crimes. There is need of innovative laws and global standards on preventive action. The Indian Information Technology Amendment Act 2008 lays down Section 66F...
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...18 April 2014 Cyber Terrorism in the Age of Modern Technology In June of 1983 a movie produced by MGM called, “WarGames” (1-1983) set off one of the most intriguing films based in what was considered the beginning of the age of home based computers. WarGames despite the obvious age of the technology, gives us an inside look into its paranoid Cold War opening tensions to the staggering moral climax. Directed by John Badham, this cyber-espionage thriller might also be considered a blueprint in cyber terrorism today. In 1995 some 12 years later another movie directed by John Badham called, “The Net” (2-1995) would give us another look into the emerging age of cyber terrorism. A computer programmer stumbles across a disk containing confidential information, then has her not so secured computer hacked into by a company owned by Gregg Microsystems. In the turn of events to follow, she has all of her personal information, history and financial records deleted, then to her surprise, later finds out that her identity is replaced to reflect that she is known as a criminal. Technology in the next 30 years will become more advanced and with it comes a plague of security threats the world has never seen before. The nostalgia of 5½ inch Floppy Discs, Commodore 64s, Apple II and Atari 800 computers being connected to by way of voice synthesizers, 300 baud acoustic couplers, mass prefix dialers, will be everything needed for anyone to start their own cyber terrorism business. The...
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...Name: Institution: Course: Date: Cyber Terrorism Cyber terrorism vs. Physical terrorism In cases where there are the occurrences of both physical terrorism and cyber terrorism, the people behind it carry out their attacks outside the bounds of conventional warfare. In other words, the terrorists carry out attacks in areas that are not ordinarily considered as battlefields as well as on people not normally considered as military personnel. For example, the attacks may entail an individual dressed as a civilian blowing himself up in a packed place or people dressed like civilians hijacking commercial airplanes and flying them to civilian targets like the World Trade Centre. Physical terrorism differs from cyber terrorism in the sense that the later primarily entails carrying out attacks against information found in computers while the former involves an attack against civilians. Those individuals, who dress up as civilians and blow up themselves in a crowded area like a bus constitutes physical terrorism since the attacks aims at destroying human life. Most likely, cyber terrorists use computers or other similar devices to carry out attacks on information found on computers. Cyber terrorism will have more impact than physical terrorism. The main aim of physical terrorism is to cause loss of life whereas cyber terrorism may entail hacking into a country’s critical infrastructure with the sole purpose of causing great harm such as significant damage on the economy or loss...
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...Introduction Cyber security refers to the practices and processes that are used in technologies such as networks, computers, information and programs from damages by unwarranted entities (Ahmad, Yunos & Sahib, 2012). There are different attacks towards technology which may distort information or be used to create tension in an organization. Information stored in computers has some level of privacy and this depends on the level of sensitivity that such information may have towards that organization. Business strategies, political discussions and government documents are some of the documents that require a higher degree of privacy. However, there are individuals who cause deliberate attacks on the information systems of organizations and governments in order to unlawfully access information or distort the meaning of such data. The intention of cyber attacks has led to the classification of these attacks into particular classes. For example, we have cyber bullying and cyber terrorism. Under cyber bullying, the attackers use technology to abuse and intimidate their targets. Cyber bullying has been common through the presence of the social media where an individual will use pseudo-accounts to publish half truths about others with a bid to embarrass them. On the other hand, cyber terrorism involves the use of technology to access vital government sites in order to cause harm and fear in the society through terrorism activities. Brunst (2010) indicates that cyber terrorist activities...
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...Rising Cyber Terrorism and Role of Law in India Abstract: This paper makes an attempt to realize how cyber-crime and the measures to contain it are implemented in India. With the rise of global terrorism, terrorists are more inclined to use the vast internet for their nefarious activities. Something that they can accomplish without them physically being present and having the assurance of not being caught has promoted this form of terrorism all the more. In this paper an attempt has been made to understand cyber-terrorism, its various facets and also the laws and legislations in our country that inhibit such acts of terror. Introduction: The separation between the real world and virtual world is vanishing. The dependence of life on computers has increased high level. This dependency is used by the terrorists to their advantage by the use of internet. There are several types of cyber-crimes, such as Cyber Theft, Cyber Trespass, Cyber Stalking, Cyber Pornography, Cyber laundering, Cyber Theft, Cyber Vandalism and Cyber Terrorism, but the most threatening and dangerous are ones the that come under the category of the term cyber terrorism. Techno legal experts of India have been warning against growing incidences of cyber-attacks, cyber-crimes, cyber espionages, etc....
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...Cyber Terrorism: The American Response Mutale Chisanga School of Computer Science 03-60-305 Professor Kristina Verner March 6, 2016 Cyber terrorism: The American Response United States (U.S.) critical infrastructure faces a growing cyber terrorism threats due to advancements in the availability and sophistication of malicious software tools and the fact that new technologies raise new security issues that cannot always be addressed prior to adoption. The increasing automation of U.S. critical infrastructures provides more cyber access points for adversaries to exploit. Industrial control systems, which operate the physical processes of the U.S. pipelines, railroads, and other critical infrastructures, are at elevated risk of cyber exploitation. The growth of malicious techniques that could degrade, disrupt, or destroy critical infrastructure is a huge concern for the U.S. government. It is also likely the cyber threats will surpass the terrorism threat to U.S. in the years to come (MLI, 2012). Even though only advanced threat actors are currently capable of employing these high level malicious techniques, these capabilities will eventually be within reach of all threat actors. Discussion The potential economic consequences of cyber terrorism attacks are severe. The severity of cyber terrorism are not felt equally across the board. A small company may not be able to survive even one significant cyber-attack. On the other hand, large companies may take a long time...
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...Hacktivism, Freedom of Speech or Cyber Terrorism? Josh T. Diehl ITT-Tech Institute Abstract I will be doing my research paper on Hacktivism and looking into the subsector that is known as “Anonymous”. Hacktivism in itself is the use of computers and computer networks to promote political ends. To see this for what it truly can be, you must look at it with the understanding that it can be carried out under the same premise that proper (and skillful) use of technology can produce results similar to these of conventional acts of protest, activism, and civil disobedience. I plan on exploring whether it is freedom of speech or cyber terrorism, keeping an open mind when conducting my research will be the key to the integrity of this paper. I plan on researching online articles and post from credible sources. I will make set times while I am not at work to research and write this. Body First we need to look at what exactly is hacktivism and who practices it. Hacktivism in itself is defined as “The use of computers and computer networks to promote political ends, chiefly free speech, human rights, and information ethics. It is carried out under the premise that proper use of technology can produce results similar to those of conventional acts of protest, activism, and civil disobedience.” Certain groups such as Anonymous use this form (among others) as their way to speak out against what they see as injustice. We need to look closely, past the top layer of information, to...
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...Cyber security is a critical and growing issue in the world today. President Obama said this issue is, "one of the most serious economic and national security threats our nation faces" (Cybersecurity). The United States is one of the most computer dependent societies and has the most computer dependent military and intelligence agencies. With more and, more of our country being ran by technology we are at a bigger risk of attack. A cyber attack could be the most devastating attack our country has ever faced. An attack on America’s cyber infrastructure could cripple the country and put us at an even greater risk of a normal attack. FBI Director said “Counterterrorism — stopping terrorist attacks — with the FBI is the present number one priority. But down the road, the cyber threat, which cuts across all FBI programs, will be the number one threat to the country” (Paganini). The message is clear the cyber security threat we are facing today is a dangerous and growing threat that has serious offensive potential and is often difficult to detect or prevent. An attack on a nation’s critical infrastructure can be devastating and when you add the fact that cyber attacks often do not make themselves know until it is to late could make for a devastating first strike prior to an invasion. Cyber security is defined as measures taken to protect a computer or computer system (as on the Internet) against unauthorized access or attack. The term “cyber security threat” means...
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...Computers have modernized terrorism in the same way cyber terrorism revolutionized information warfare. There is no distinct definition of Cyber terrorism; however, its threat is as real as waging war but with weapons of automation. Terrorists have begun to exploit the availability of information with the malicious intent to sabotage; conversely, there are those who are not quite sure if information warfare - cyber terrorism is an actual threat. This research paper will briefly explore the history of cyber terrorism, the friend the internet has been to terrorist and how we can make the internet safer through vigilant tactics of prevention and deterrence. It will also expose the truth about cyber terrorism for the skeptic, reasons not to discount the threat, and why it is paramount their mind is changed. Information Warfare-Cyber Terrorism Did you know there were 18 cybercrime victims every second, 1058 every minute, approximately 64,000 per hour, and 1.5 million per day, that affected over 556 million people within the last year (Norton , 2012)? The internet has made it possible for terrorists to gather our public information and use it against us. As the internet matures so does the terrorist, finding ways to cripple and intimidate. The internet and terrorists have become a real hazard to the health of the cyber world. The government has implemented several organizations to help combat cyber terrorism but have not given it a clear concise definition. Skeptics...
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...Weak USA Cyber Policy vs China’s Security Threat to the USA? Abstract A cyber spy network based mainly in China hacked into classified documents from government and private organizations. One of the biggest questions still remains unanswered. Should the U.S. Congress conduct an in depth assessment of Chinese cyber spying and consider imposing tougher penalties on companies that benefit from industrial espionage. In this paper I will review china’s cyber threat and possible USA solutions to protect against the threat. Could Weak USA Cyber Policy be the cause of China’s Security Threat? U.S. corporations and cyber security specialists have reported an daily attack of computer network intrusions originating from China. Of the seven cases that were adjudicated under the Economic Espionage Act in 2010, six involved a link to China. U.S. corporations and cyber security specialists have reported a huge increase of computer network intrusions originating from China. Some of these reports have alleged a Chinese corporate or government sponsor of the activity, but the U.S. intelligence community has not been able to confirm these reports. In a study released in February, McAfee attributed an intrusion attempt they labeled Night Dragon to a Chinese Internet Protocol (IP) address and indicated the intruders stole data from the computer systems of petrochemical companies (Minnick, W. 11 Dec, 2011).” So could the problem be U.S. Cyber policy? I believe congressional committees...
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...Cyberterrorism is the act of Internet terrorism in terrorist activities, including acts of deliberate, large-scale disruption of computer networks, especially of personal computers attached to the Internet, by the means of tools such as computer viruses. In short, cyber terrorism is a new language of war. What makes cyber terrorism so appealing for criminals? * Remote attacks - One of the primary advantages for terrorists is their ability to launch an attack on a designated area from anywhere in the world. A terrorist on the other side of the world sitting in front of a computer can launch an attack, route it through 50 different countries, cover his tracks so that it is nearly untraceable, and cause billions of dollars in damages and even fatalities. * Damage scope - Another attractive feature is scope of damage that can result. * Using cyberspace a terrorist can take control of traffic lights in a certain area and could take more lives in hundreds of deadly car accidents. * Electric Power System- The electrical power grid is a probable target for cyber terrorists.If the computer systems controlling these systems could be disrupted or shut down it could knock out power for many. This could lead to potential deaths if the system isn’t recovered in a timely manner. Examples of cyber terrorism * In 1998, ethnic Tamil guerrillas attempted to disrupt Sri Lankan embassies by sending large volumes of e-mail. The embassies received 800 e-mails a day over...
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...An attack against a computer system or network is how PC Magazine defines a cyber-attack. A Cyber-attack can take many forms, for many reasons and can be executed on a small or large scale. Most cyber-attacks are criminal in nature. These cybercrimes are usually motivated by profit. Recent examples include the cyber-attacks on Visa/MasterCard and attacks on Google’s network by China. The cyber-attacks on Visa and MasterCard were part of “operation payback”, and were carried out by various loose nit groups that organized using social networking sites. “Operation payback” was retaliation against Visa and MasterCard for refusing to continue to do business with the website WikiLeaks. WikiLeaks posted leaked classified U.S. diplomatic communications on their website for the world to see. The United States felt this was a criminal act and pressured Visa and MasterCard to stop processing transactions for WikiLeaks. In response hackers launch “operation payback” which used distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) attacks to crash Visa and MasterCard Servers. Google recently exited the Chinese market. According to the New York Times, “Google linked its decision to sophisticated cyber-attacks on its computer systems that it suspected originated in China and that were aimed, at least in part, at the Gmail user accounts of Chinese human rights activists. The attacks were directed at some 34 companies or entities, most of them in Silicon Valley, California, according to people with knowledge of...
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...Cyber terrorism Assignment #10 6/15/2012 TS 5999 Table of Contents Abstract………………………………………………………2 Introduction…………………………………………………..3 What is Cyberterrorism?....................................................3-4 History…………………………………………………………4 Examples of cyberterrorism…………………………………4-6 Level of cyber terror capability ……………………………..6 Figure 1……………………………………………………….7 Prevention of cyberterrorism……………………………….7-8 Conclusion ……………………………………………………..8 Reference ……………………………………………………...9-10 Abstract Cyberterrorism has increasing become one of the most significant threats nationally and internationally. Being that the internet makes it easier for terrorist to communicate, organize terrorist cells, share information, plan attacks; the internet also is used to cyber terrorist acts. Since the September 11th terror attacks on the US, American have remained on high alert for possibly another terror attack. The government has many action plans ready in the event that they get wind of another attack or an attack happens. Law enforcement has received training in terrorism prevention and detection techniques, granted terrorist are always looking for ways to improve their methods of attack. This paper will look at all the different aspects of cyberterrorism and review the different cases of cyberterrorism nationally and internationally. Introduction The use of computers and the internet have been an important part of our daily lives. Computers and the internet makes...
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...Cyber Terrorism Technological innovations bring with them various blessing as well as curses. Due to increased dependency on technology, the negative and exploitative use of technology results in chaos in the daily lives of millions of technologically driven people worldwide. This increased dependency has resulted in the creation of cyber terrorism, whose main purpose is to use technology and cyberspace to launch wide scale and damaging results for the internet users. These opportunities for cyber terrorism are created due to the fact that the reliance on technology and information has increased manifold and this technology and information can be easily manipulated and tampered to hurt and damage the companies’ and nations’ reputations etc. That why, cyber terrorism is considered to be a national offense because it is generally used to disrupt or influence the government and government owned companies regarding their political, social and policy making motives. Nature of Cyber Terrorism: Cyber terrorism, like conventional terrorism, is used to disrupt and induce fear in the daily lives of people and uses threats, serious assaults to induce fear. Cyber terrorism also works it the similar way, but uses internet and computers as its backbone. Nowadays, terrorist groups and individuals use internet to spread malicious rumours, spread daunting and formidable news and information and post scary images to threat the supremacy of the government and government affiliated individuals...
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...and financially. The internet can increase the risk of theft, fraud and even the possibility to suffer from a cyber-attack or even worse a cyber-terrorism, leaving our country at risk especially for those who work in the government defense agencies and private corporations. In 2003, the conflict with Iraq created a round of speculations that the United States was going to experience cyber-attacks in revenge (Clarke). But, since 1995 there haven’t been any reports of cyber-attacks that would produce panic or damage to U.S. infrastructure or that affects our military operations. By any means this is not a result of idleness by terrorist groups. Between 1996 and the end of 2001 there was 1,813 international terrorist attacks performed. To mention a few that involved citizen targets, there is the Khobar Tower Bombing in June 1996, the Embassy Bombing in East Africa in August 1998, and the USS Cole attack in October 2000. Between 1996 and 2003, to compare between terrorist attacks around 1,813, computer security incidents around 217,394 and cyber-attacks on infrastructure which they were 0, reporters have noted that the cyber terror on infrastructure are an unlikely threat to the security of the United States. In 2005, Cyber-attacks cost were $48 billion to businesses and $680 million to consumers. While a physical attack involves weapons against a specific target, a cyber-attack includes codes that are used as weapons to infect enemies’ computer in order to manipulate the software...
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