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Cyberterrorism

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Submitted By frnchris1996
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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 a two-week period. The messages read "We are the Internet Black Tigers and we're doing this to disrupt your communications. It is the first known attack by terrorists against a country's computer systems. * Stuxnet in Iran nuclear facility
This malicious code targeted a specific type of controller equipment at Iran‘s uranium- enrichment facility in Natanz, causing almost 1000 centrifuges to spin out of control or instructed them to self-destruct. The damage occurred gradually, over a period of months, and Iranian officials were deliberately misled, through false instrument readings, to initially think the problems were the result of staff incompetence. Such an attack on a nuclear plant, even if small-scale or unlikely, needed to be taken seriously because of the harm that would follow if radiation were released.

Conclusion
The cyberterrorism threat is real and not enough people are prepared to prevent or detect an attack. Terrorists can use these forums to promote and spread their message of hate and intolerances toward the countries and cause some damage to important places of the world. By keeping our eyes open and applying effective techniques, organizations can go a long way to prevent attacks and recover quickly in th

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