Cyber Terrorism as a new threat in Internet

Author:Guzun Grigore Group 201

Professor:Ejova Cristina
 Contents

1. Cyber terrorism
2. Cyberterrorism-It is a controversial term
3. Overview
4. Basic definition
5. Background information
6. Effects and example.
7. How can we protect myself?
 Cyber terrorism

Cyberterrorism is a new terrorist tactic

Cyber that makes use of information systems or
digital technology, especially the Internet,
terrorism as either an instrument or a target.

Cyber The number of areas in which

cyberterrorists could strike is
terrorism frightening, to say the least.

Cyber The growth of Information Technology has

led to the development of this dangerousweb
terrorism of terror, for cyberterrorists could wreak
maximum havoc within asmall time span.
 Cyberterrorism-
It is a controversial term
Some authors choose a very
narrow definition, relating to
deployments, by known
terrorist organizations, of
disruption attacks against
information systems for the
primary purpose of creating
alarm and panic. By this
narrow definition, it is The premeditated use of
difficult to identify any disruptive activities, or the
instances of cyberterrorism. threat thereof, against
computers and/or networks,
with the intention to cause
harm or further social,
ideological, religious, political
or similar objectives. Or to
intimidate any person in
furtherance of such
objectives.
 Overview

As the Internet becomes more pervasive in all areas of human endeavor,

individuals or groups can use the anonymity afforded by cyberspace to
threaten citizens, specific groups (i.e. with membership based on ethnicity
or belief), communities and entire countries, without the inherent threat of
capture, injury, or death to the attacker that being physically present
would bring.

As the Internet continues to expand, and computer systems

continue to be assigned more responsibility while becoming
more and more complex and interdependent, sabotage or
terrorism via cyberspace may become a more serious threat.
 Basic definition
Cyberterrorism is the leveraging of a target's computers and
information , particularly via the Internet, to cause physical,
1. real-world harm or severe disruption of infrastructure.

Cyberterrorism is defined as The premeditated use of disruptive

activities, or the threat thereof, against computers and/or
networks, with the intention to cause harm or further social,
ideological, religious, political or similar objectives. Or to
1.1 intimidate any person in furtherance of such objectives.(by Kevin
G. Coleman)

There are some that say cyberterrorism does not exist and is really
a matter of hacking or information warfare. They disagree with
labeling it terrorism because of the unlikelihood of the creation of
fear, significant physical harm, or death in a population using
2. electronic means, considering current attack and protective
technologies.
 Background information
Public interest in cyberterrorism began in the late 1980s

As the year 2000 approached, the fear and uncertainty

about the millennium bug heightened and interest in
potential cyberterrorist attacks also increased.

The high profile terrorist attacks in the United States

on September 11,2001 lead to further media coverage
of the potential threats of cyberterrorism in the years
following.
 Effects

1. Cyberterrorism can have a serious large-scale influence on

significant numbers of people. It can weaken countries' economy
greatly, thereby stripping it of its resources and making it more
vulnerable to military attack.
2. Cyberterror can also affect internet-based businesses. Like
brick and mortar retailers and service providers, most websites
that produce income (whether by advertising, monetary
exchange for goods or paid services) could stand to lose money
in the event of downtime created by cyber criminals.
3. As internet-businesses have increasing economic importance
to countries, what is normally cybercrime becomes more
political and therefore "terror" related.
 Example

In 1999 hackers attacked NATO

computers. The computers
flooded them with email and hit
them with a denial of service
(DoS). The hackers were
protesting against the NATO
bombings in Kosovo. Businesses,
public organizations and
academic institutions were
bombarded with highly
politicized emails containing
viruses from other European
countries.
 How can we protect myself?
Here are few key things to remember to pretect
yourself from cyberterrorism:
1. All accounts should have passwords and the
passwords should be unusual, difficult to guess.
2. Change the network configuration when defects
become know.
3. Check with venders for upgrades and patches.
4. Audit systems and check logs to help in detecting
and tracing an intruder.
5. If you are ever unsure about the safety of a site, or
receive suspicious email from an unkown address,
don't access it. It could be trouble.