Encyclopedia of Computer Science and Technology

cyberterrorism 127used for propaganda and recruiting. (In 2007 a British courtsentenced three men, calling them “cyber-jihadis” and sayingthey had used a Web site to urge Muslims to attack non-Muslims.) In fact extremist groups of many kinds (includingneo-Nazis and other racial extremists) have long used Websites to attract young followers through propaganda, music,and even games.Other material posted by terrorist groups onlineincludes bomb-making plans, lists of potential targets (possiblyincluding maps or blueprints), and “tips” for penetratingdefenses or evading detection. (A project called DarkWeb at the University of Arizona searches for, compiles,and analyzes massive amounts of Web content generated byterrorist groups.)Attacks on Web SitesAttempts to jam or disrupt Web sites (such as denial ofservice attacks or DOS) have been made for a variety of reasons.At one end of the spectrum are individuals or smallgroups engaged in criminal activity (such as attemptedextortion) or expressing political protest (“hacktivists”). Atthe other end are alleged online offensives by national governments(see Information warfare).Although there have been no major disruptions as ofmid-2008, terrorists (or sympathizers) have already conductedcyberattacks. One site has even offered a downloadable“electronic jihad” program that users can use to selectfrom a list of targets to launch an automated DOS. Whilesuch sites are usually taken down after a few months, it isrelatively easy to start another, especially because informationprovided for site registration is often not verified.Fighting CyberterrorismStrategies and tactics to combat cyberterrorism involve bothgeneral antiterrorist intelligence and other techniques aswell as those particularly adapted to the cyberspace arena(see counterterrorism and computers, computercrime and security, and computer forensics).The cyberterrorist threat also plays an important rolein the effort to better protect vital infrastructure. Althoughattacks on banking and other financial computer systemshave the potential to cause severe economic damage, muchattention has focused on computer-based attacks that havethe potential to directly injure or even kill people. Back in2000, an individual hacker in Australia took over a pumpingstation and dumped more than 264,000 gallons of raw sewageinto public lands and waterways. Although no humanswere directly harmed, it is easy to see that such contaminationin the drinking water supply could be deadly.Regardless of the type of computer system, followingbest security practices can go a long way to “hardening”potential targets. Such practices include the use of robustfirewalls and antivirus programs, regular security updatesfor the operating system and software, network monitoringand intrusion detection, sharing information about securitythreats, and training personnel to be aware of typicalattacker techniques, including deception (social engineering).There needs to be a comprehensive protection plan foreach facility that takes both physical and electronic securityinto accountAssessmentIn recent years cyberterrorism has been a much publicizedtopic. Some critics believe that the threat of cyberterrorismhas been overestimated—not because many computer systemsare not vulnerable, but because the most vulnerablephysical systems are generally not on the Internet and noteasily accessible. It has also been argued that terrorists generallyuse simpler, more direct weapons (e.g., bombs) andaim to produce physically spectacular or terrifying results.Most cyberattacks would not seem to meet those criteria.On the other hand, a cyberattack might be launched inconjunction with physical attacks, either as a distractionor to make it harder for authorities to respond to the mainattack.Properly assessing risks and allocating resources willalways be difficult, and will always be influenced by politicaland economic as well as technological factors.Further ReadingBlane, John V., ed. Cybercrime and Cyberterrorism: Current Issues.New York: Novinka Books, 2003.Brown, Lawrence V., ed. Cyberterrorism and Computer Attacks.New York: Novinka Books, 2006.Chen, Hsinchun. “How Terrorists Use the Internet” [interviewtranscript]. The Science Show, March 31, 2007. Availableonline. URL: http://www.abc.net.au/rn/scienceshow/stories/2007/1885902.htm#transcript. Accessed September 7, 2007.Colarik, Andrew M. Cyber Terrorism: Political and Economic Implications.Hershey, Penn.: Idea Group, 2006.“Cyber-Terrorism: Propaganda or Probability?” About.com. Availableonline. URL: http://antivirus.about.com/library/weekly/aa090502a.htm. Accessed September 7, 2007.Greenmeier, Larry. “Cyberterrorism: By Whatever Name, It’s onthe Increase.” InformationWeek, July 7, 2007. Available online.URL: http://www.informationweek.com/story/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=200900812. Accessed July 12, 2007.O’Day, Alan, ed. Cyberterrorism. Burlington, Vt.: Ashgate, 2004.Wagner, Breanne. “Electronic Jihad: Experts Downplay ImminentThreat of Cyberterrorism. National Defense 92 (July 1, 2007):p. 34 ff.