Essay on Cyber Terrorism

As the internet usage has increased, it also has become an element for radicalization, therefore, develop a national cybercrime unit model to analyze potential terrorist attacks, addressing virtual space and technology.

Hypothesis: The United State’s foreign policy will make a shift in the coming years to focus more intently on suppressing individual groups that use terrorism as a political strategy, rather than focusing on specific and identifiable States as in the past. The organizations mentioned before will be using the Internet to coordinate attacks, as well as attempt to hack US Government systems to their advantage. As a result, cyber security and antiterrorism stand to be the biggest future challenges for American foreign policy.

Abstract: Everyday security is provided by the states and federal government. These tasks get more difficult as new technology introduces itself. Cybersecurity is one of the most popular security sectors in today’s world. There is not only cyberbullying going on in the world. Terrorism can be planned and sent from person to person over the internet. People’s identities are being stole to help carry out these terrorist acts and this is just the being of it. The United States created the Department of Homeland Security as a result of the 9/11 attacks. This was an effort to prevent future terrorist attacks on our nation. Along with that department, laws have been enacted, such as the USA PATRIOT Act. This law was introduced and passed to provide Federal, State, and local law enforcement agencies with better resources to fight and stand up against terrorism. The way to successfully providing security against domestic and international terrorists is to understand the mentality of a terrorist. Critical assessments, more efficient alert systems, and physical security standards must improve in order to solidify our current security posture if the United States wants to deter future terrorist attacks against its culture and economy.

Guns, knives, and conventional explosives have so far remained the weapons of choice for most terrorists; however, recently terrorist have gone to the tactics of using vehicles as well, since such weapons can cause many casualties and are relatively easy to acquire and use. But some terrorist groups now show interest in acquiring the capability to use chemical, biological, radiological, or nuclear (CBRN) materials [Federal Emergency Management Agency, (July 2002)]. It is difficult to predict the likelihood of a CBRN attack, but most experts agree that today's terrorists are seeking the ability to use such agents in order to cause mass casualties [Federal Emergency Management Agency, (July 2002)]. Cyber-attacks are often considered in the same context with CBRN. Respectable experts have published sobering scenarios about the potential impact of a successful cyber-attack on the United States. Already, hackers and criminals have exploited some of our vulnerabilities [National Research Council. (2007)]. Terrorists are making extensive use of the new information technologies, and a conventional terrorist attack along with a coordinated cyber-attack could exponentially compound the damage [National Research Council. (2007)]. This changing nature of the terrorist threat raises the stakes in getting American counterterrorist policies and practices

When I think of the word terrorism, the first thing that pops into my mind is 9/11. A day I will never forget, as I am sure countless other Americans will not as well. I never took the time to truly think about a terrorist, what they are thinking, what their motives are, or whom they are trying to hurt or even why they are terrorist. In doing this research, I have acquired knowledge about not only the ‘traditional’ terrorist but also the cyberterrorist. In some ways these criminals are similar, and the reasons behinds their actions sometimes overlap, yet they also are different. Although some people, including myself, could get the two of them confused, they are not the same.

Cyber-terrorism is the convergence of terrorism and cyberspace. It is generally understood to mean unlawful attacks and threats of attack against computers, networks, and the information stored therein when done to intimidate or coerce a government or its people in furtherance of political or social objectives.

Due to rapid expansions in both transportation and communication technology, terrorism has become an international threat and is now a serious global risk. Beck (2002: 9) states that the ‘risk of terrorism exponentially multiply with technological advancement. With the technologies of the future-genetic engineering, nanotechnology and robotics, we are opening a new Pandoras box’. This suggests that as more sophisticated technology is introduced new terror risks proliferate at an exceedingly fast pace. For Cronin (2002), international terrorism is not only a reaction to globalisation; globalisation is also a facilitator of international terrorism; suggesting that globalisation is a vital component in the structure and mechanisms of international terrorism. With advances in technology and particularly transportation, terrorist activity is no longer restricted to particular geographical jurisdictions.

“Terrorist groups are increasingly computer savvy, and some probably are acquiring the ability to use cyber attacks to inflict isolated and brief disruptions of US infrastructure. Due to the prevalence of publicly available hacker tools, many of these groups probably already have the capability to launch denial-of-service and other nuisance attacks against Internet-connected systems” (Mavropalias, 2011). This issue is seen within articles published through many al Qaeda websites. ‘As terrorists become more computer savvy, their attack options will only increase” (War on Terrorism, 2003). In a speech by Napolitano on May 30, 2012 to business leaders and government officials, said that besides "al Qaeda and al Qaeda-related groups," cybercrime is, "the greatest threat and actual activity that we have seen aimed at the west and at the United States. Unfortunately, it is a growth arena.” Napolitano cited a study by Symantec's Norton that estimated the cost of cybercrime worldwide at $388 billion -- more than the global market for heroin, cocaine and marijuana combined (Kalberer, 2012). This is an issue that has been a constant battle since 2012 when the Stuxnet worm was publicized. The internet can be a very reliable resource or a cyberweapon if put in the wrong hands. Al qaeda’s use of information technology have been deemed harmful to potential and established

Cyber attack has been a huge problem for so many years and there have been a lot of attempts to stop it but there have not been enough resources for this to happen. This paper offers more top to bottom clarification of Cyber attack, reasons, dangers, and defenselessness. It talks about the impact on individual; gives situations of Cyber attacks lastly clarifies ways that people can keep themselves from being casualties of Cyber attack. This paper will give insights on how Cyber attack impacted the United States a year ago contrasted with now, climate it has expanded or diminished. It will likewise talk about how Cyber attacks have made more individuals careful about how they reveal data and the sort of sites they visit that lead to them being victims of cyber attack.

Technology in the twenty-first century changed terrorism quite a bit. The evolution of the internet introduced cyberterrorism to us. Cyberterrorism can be defined as the intentional use of computer, networks, and public internet to cause destruction and harm for personal objectives.

The United States government needs to focus less on physical warfare and more on cyber warfare.

Most nations today fear terror attacks that include bombing use of reinforcements like machines guns and other firearms. This is because terror attacks most of the times leave many people dead and others disabled while others are left without families. However, there is another attack today in many nations that can be destructive like a terror attack and this is the cyber-attack and threats. Cyber-attacks can be responsible for large mass destructions by making all systems connected to cyber networks fail to work (Rhodes 20). An example is the Morris worm that affected the world cyber infrastructures and caused them to slow down to a position of being impractical. Therefore, as a result of these cyber-attacks resources are being established and designed to help counter the attacks.

Since 2010 there have been over 13 major cyber attacks in the US, the FBI categorizes the severity of the attack based on what could possibly be at stake such as information on US citizens or hijacking of critical information . Cyber attacks are classified as crimes committed with the aid of a computer. Cyber crimes are considered felonies, however most people who commit the crimes can usually not be found. Recently there has been an uprising in cyber crimes, in the year 2017 alone 9 minor incidents have occured (minor attacks can consist of malware and internet “trolling” which is a form of cyberbullying) and 4 major crimes have been committed. Most crimes consist of identity theft, robbery, and hijacking private information. Recently programmers have been able to build security systems that can detect a threat almost immediately. With a growing expansion of technology protecting information gets harder day by day. Cyber security is the body of technologies, processes and practices designed to protect networks, computers, programs and data from attack, damage or unauthorized access.

According to Furnell and Warren (1999), Evidence suggests that technology is growingly seen as a potential tool for terrorist organizations and the widespread use of information technology by terrorist groups and organizations has led to the birth of a new class of menace termed “Cyberterrorism”. Cyberterrorism could be used in many diverse ways. Sometimes, a country’s pivotal infrastructures could be shut down and harmed using computer network and tools. There have been impediments in trying to give a clear and concise definition to the term “cyberterrorism”. But Denning (2007) which supersedes Denning (2000) gives an unambiguous definition to cyberterrorism:

Imagine if you were an employee of a large credit card corporation such as Visa or MasterCard. You can make up to $90,000 a year but all of a sudden your bank account was $0.00 along with all your coworkers, bosses and the company stock dropped to zero. There would be panic, chaos and disorder due to everyone losing their money. The culprit of such a chaotic situation was a result of a cyber-attack by a hacker. The cyber attacker hacked into the system and caused the databases to transfer all of the money into some bank accounts elsewhere. This is just one example of cyber terrorism and all the damage it is can do to people lives. Businesses corporations are usually not targets of terrorism, but government databases usually are targeted. Cyber terrorist often try to hack into government databases and steal information that would be valuable to America but dangerous in the hands of terrorist. Through cyber-attacks information for nuclear weapons, shut down codes or other government secrets can be gained by a number of terrorist organizations. “ cyber-attacks on our nation private sector and government networks have increased dramatically in the past decade” ( www.fbi.gov) This increase in attacks means that there is a higher chance that terrorist can shut major power grids and leave millions without power or disrupt the stock market to cause mass panic in the