Cyber Security Lecture

CyberTerrorism,Terrorist atrocities, Role of IT in terrorism

What is Cyber Terrorism?
 Definitions:
 Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS):
 “the use of computer network tools to shut down critical national
infrastructures (e.g., energy, transportation, government operations) or to
coerce or intimidate a government or civilian population.”
 William Tafoya, Professor of Criminal Justice at the Henry C. Lee
College of Criminal Justice and Forensic Sciences:
 the intimidation of civilian enterprise through the use of high technology to
bring about political, religious, or ideological aims, actions that result in
disabling or deleting critical infrastructure data or information.”
 The term was coined in the 1980s by Barry Collin, a senior
research fellow at the Institute for Security and Intelligence in
California, who in 1997 was attributed for creation of the term
"Cyberterrorism", defined cyber-terrorism as the convergence
of cybernetics and terrorism.
 Cyber Terrorism
 Why cyber terrorism?
- Cheaper than other methods
- More difficult to get caught
- Can be done from anywhere.
- Can affect more people

 Countries with most cyber terrorism as in 2002

- United States = 35.4%
- South Korea = 12.8%
- China = 6.2 %
- Germany = 6.7 %
- France = 4.0 %
 Terrorist Atrocities
Terrorist Atrocities are the activities which include extreme violence
or cruel act.

1. 9/11 attack: terrorist attacks by

the Islamic terrorist group al-
Qaeda against the United States on the
morning of Tuesday, September 11, 2001.
The attacks resulted in 2,977 fatalities, over
25,000 injuries, and substantial long-term
health consequences, in addition to at least
$10 billion in infrastructure and property
damage.

Four passenger airliners were hijacked .Two

planes crashed at north and south towers
world trade centre at New York city.Third
plane hit pentagon(headquarters of US
defense) and fourth hit pennysylvania

Source: Wikipidea ,Cyber security book, https://images.app.goo.gl/YntZkn8p9Yq35j9W7

Terrorist Atrocities
2. 2002 Bali bombings
Occurred on 12 October 2002 in the
tourist district of Kuta on
the Indonesian island of Bali. The
attack killed 202 people (including
88 Australians, 38 Indonesians,
23 Britons, and people of more than
20 other nationalities).A further 209
people were injured.
Jemaah Islamiyah, a
violent Islamist group, were convicted
in relation to the bombings, including
three individuals who were sentenced
to death. The attack involved the
detonation of three bombs:
a backpack-mounted device carried
by a suicide bomber; a large car
bomb, both of which were detonated
in or near popular nightclubs in Kuta.
3. 2003 Mumbai bombings
On 25 August twin car
bombings done in the Indian
city of Mumbai that killed 54,
and injured 244 people.One of
the bomb explosions took
place at the Gateway of India,
which is a major tourist
attraction. The other bomb
went off in a jewellery
market Zaveri Bazaar near
the Mumba Devi temple in
central Mumbai. Both the
bombs were planted in
parked taxis and exploded
during the lunch hour.
 Terrorist Atrocities
4. SuperFerry14 2004
bombing
on February 27, 2004, was a
terrorist attack that resulted in
the sinking of the ferry
SuperFerry14 and the deaths of
116 people in the Philippines'
deadliest terrorist attack and the
world's deadliest terrorist attack
at sea.

5. 2005 Bali bombings

On 1 October 2005,
again in Bali, Indonesia. Bombs
exploded at two sites
in Jimbaran Beach Resort and
in Kuta , both in south Bali. The
terrorist attack claimed the lives
of 20 people and injured more
than 100 others. The three
bombers also died in the
attacks.
Terrorist Atrocities
6. 2006 Mumbai train bombings
Series of seven bomb blasts on 11 July on
the Suburban Railway in Mumbai, the capital of
the Indian state of Maharashtra and the nation's
financial capital. The bombs were set off
in pressure cookers on trains plying on
the Western Line Suburban Section of the Mumbai
Division of Western Railway. The blasts killed 209
people and injured over 700 more.
7. 2007 Hyderabad bombings
Two bombs exploded almost simultaneously on 25
August 2007 in Hyderabad, capital of the
Indian state of Telangana.
The first bomb exploded in Lumbini Amusement
Park.
The second bomb exploded five minutes later at
19:50 in Gokul Chat Bhandar, a popular restaurant
about 5 kilometres away.
At least 42 people were reported to have died in
the two bombings.Two more bombs were defused
in other parts of the city. According to initial reports,
the banned Harkat-ul-Jihad-al-Islami militant outfit
of Bangladesh is suspected for the serial blasts.
8. 2008 Ahemdabad Bombings
The 2008 Ahmedabad
bombings were a series of 21 bomb
blasts that hit Ahmedabad, India, on 26
July 2008, within a span of 70 minutes.
Fifty-six people were killed and over
200 people were injured. Ahmedabad
is the cultural and commercial heart of
Gujarat state, and a large part
of western India
Warning of attacks through e-mail
Several news agencies reported
receiving a 14-page e-mail five
minutes before the explosions with the
subject line: "Await 5 minutes for the
revenge of Gujarat",apparently
referring to the 2002 Gujarat
violence which took place after
the Godhra train
burning incident.
Role of IT in terrorism

 The cyberspace is an environment without boundaries, a

privileged place where terrorists find resources, make
propaganda activities and from which it is possible to launch
the attacks against enemies everywhere in the world.
 Social media is an essential element of modern terrorism;
these powerful platforms allow terrorists to communicate, to
make propaganda and recruit new sympathizers.
 Every terrorist attack is similar to a dramatic representation,
in which the Internet is the stage.
Role of IT in terrorism
 The experts explained that in 1998 the number of websites
containing terrorist material was 12, in 2003 he counted
2,650 websites and in September 2015 the total number has
reached 9,800.
 Terrorist organizations are looking with increasing interest to
the Internet
 Growing number of radical organizations are also exploiting
darknets, a circumstance that greatly increases the number
of sites currently operated by terrorist organizations.
Role of IT in terrorism
 The resources of the Internet could offer anonymity to the user, a great
advantage for a terrorist organization that wants to spread their message while
remaining undetected
 The internet is cheap; a group of terrorists could arrange efficient propaganda
campaigns without economic effort.
 Most of all makes the Internet a privileged instrument for terrorist groups is that
it is interactive.
 Use the technology to make propaganda spread fear among wide audience
worldwide.
 Each video is carefully prepared, and its programming is meticulous and aims
to reach the largest number of individuals.
 Terrorists use the new social platforms like Facebook, Twitter and media
services such as YouTube. Their language is direct, young, and it can reach a
specific audience by using images with a high emotional impact.
 Terrorist spread messages through emails, messaging and mobile apps.
 A smartphone, a camera and a laptop and the free Internet network are the
pillars of the new strategy of terrorism
Role of IT in terrorism

Spreading fear by choregraphing to attract the attention of the

electronic media and the international press.
 Role of IT in terrorism
 Security experts have uncovered a number
of websites offering pro-jihad content
designed using a ‘comic-style’ and high
impact Videos and Animations.
 On the Internet, it is also possible to find
infographics and computer “games,” both
media content types very popular among
young people.
 Many web services could be used to obtain
information related to a specific place that
terrorists intend to attack. Google Maps
could give attackers aerial photo of the
location of the attack; these pictures could
reveal the presence of supervisory staff,
checkpoints, fence, entry points and much
more.

Information gathering from google maps

 Role of IT in terrorism
 Acquiring counterfeit
documents that could be
used by militants to move
across the Europe.
 On the internet, and in
particular in the
cybercriminal underground,
there are many black
markets where it is
possible to acquire any
kind of illegal product and
services, including fake
documents.

Black market offering fake documents

Role of IT in terrorism
 Since 2007, Al-Qaeda groups have
developed the encryption
software Mujahideen Secrets used
to protect online and cellular
communications, but according to
the report of the intelligence, the
militants were using different new
encryption tools and
communication channels (New
services like mobile, instant
messaging).

Android App developed by terrorists

 Cyber terrorist organizations all over the
world

• Today there are more than 40 terrorist organizations

that maintain websites and use different languages.
• Their websites provide with information about the
organization.
• Some of their purposes are to change public
opinion, weaken public support for a governing
regime, and even take them down.
• From the Middle East
- The Unix Security Guards (pro Islamic
group)
- The Popular Front for the Liberation of
Palestine
- The Anti - India Crew
• From Europe
- The Irish Republican Army
- The Basque ETA movement
• Israel and Pakistan groups fighting each other
using cyber attacks.
Source:
https://resources.infosecinstitute.com/the-r
ole-of-technology-in-modern-terrorism/#
gref