Essay about Internet Terrorism - Security Holes and Cyberterrorism

In the early days of computing, a hacker was primarily referred to as a computer guru, someone who is extremely technical with a high expertise in computer also known as “Expert Programmers”. Nevertheless, as technology is advancing at a face pace, hacking has adopted a completely different definition. The modern definition is someone who access a computer system primarily to steal or destroy information. Hacking has caused major harm in the realm of technology. Over the years, hackers have become much more lethal in their craft. They manage to break into complex information systems from entities such as banks, government agencies, and private businesses. Furthermore, they often manipulate their victims through social engineering in order to obtain financial benefits. Hackers hold different label such as: black hat hacker and white hat hacker in which all have their own motives.

However, some people trying to fix the attack did an adequate job considering the problems the company had. Joanne and Leon Ledbetter did everything in their power to restore the website and protect the customer data, which even included running red lights. Leon was so new that he didn’t know exactly what to do. Training for an emergency would have proven useful. The CIO, Bob Turley, knew of the emergency protocol and out of date manuals, but never did anything to alleviate these problems. This put the company in a significant disadvantage, and created a bigger problem than what was necessary. Faced with this problem, Turley was able to facilitate direction for the company as best as he could, which ended with the security breach stopping.

Microsoft’s defense included a deposition of the company’s Chairman, Bill Gates, during which he appeared to be argumentative, evasive, and unresponsive. Evidence provided on behalf of the organization included videotapes of ways in which the company had supposedly eliminated the technical glitches that prevented users from deleting Internet Explorer and loading Netscape’s Navigator instead. These tapes were questioned and scrutinized by the government and found to be “inaccurate”.7 It seemed to me that the information the company brought forth as its defense was questionable and excusatory, rather than defensible and explanatory.

Adam Segal’s “The Hacked World Order” reveals many prevalent issues in today’s technologically centered society. Starting at Year Zero, June 2012 to June 2013, the battle over cyberspace witnessed world-changing cyberattacks. This was accomplished due to the fact that nearly 75% of the world’s population has easy access to a mobile phone, and the Internet connects nearly 40% of the total human population, which is nearly 2.7 billion people. With that being said, cyberattacks are becoming a more realistic form of terror.

The CEO and the board are responsible for “good business judgment” in guarding against the threat. So Paul’s first mistake was to dismiss the original e-mail message. All IT threats should be taken seriously, and he would have let Jacob Dale know about no IT system is “bulletproof.” Sunnylake should have had a workable, fully tested backup system to ensure uninterrupted patient service and protect everyone affected. Doctors and nurses are trained to diagnose, problem solve, and dynamically treat their patients. IT systems facilitate, but are not substitutes for, patient treatment. The fact that the hospital did not have up-to-date security software installed, or a reliable security outsourcer and an emergency plan in place, is inexcusable.

Our society has a negative perception towards the word “hacker” that has just seemed to have stuck in today’s world. Nevertheless, individuals need to separate hackers from criminals. Many individuals believe that hackers are these evil rebels that operate individually in their parent’s basements and are driven by money or a desire to cause excessive evil in society. In reality, hackers are merely smart individuals that work in groups to bring change to social order. Sometimes hackers are misguided and misunderstood, but they often use their skills to expose hidden details of governments and corporations.

My third edition American Heritage dictionary defines paranoia as "a psychotic disorder characterized by delusions of persecution or grandeur." Having looked that up, I'm not sure paranoia is the right label for what I'm about to write about; or at least, it is not the only label. I think, specifically regarding terrorism (by maybe more generally as well), the idea of paranoia blurs and blends at its boundaries between propaganda ("the systematic propagation of a doctrine or cause") and dogma ("a corpus of doctrines set forth by a religion" or "an authoritative principle or belief, esp. one considered to be absolutely true") and sensationalism ("the use of lurid or exaggerated matter, esp. in

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.

This attack is an excellent example of just how vulnerable we are to cyberattacks. Among its effects are the postponement of medical services, disruptions to major telecommunications networks, FedEx, car factories, schools and universities (Crawford & Daly, 2017). The WannaCry attack was unique in terms of its scope, speed and reach. Attacks of this nature, being globally coordinated and likely more far-reaching, may become more the norm rather than the exception. Technology companies like Microsoft should vigilantly issue patches for any potential vulnerabilities, and end users need to be proactive in testing for and weakness and increase their level of protection.

Prevalent to the current trend now is the dependency of the society on Information technology and communication systems. Every aspect of human life is one way or the other linked and controlled by information technology tools. The importance of information technology cannot be over emphasized as its unavailability could lead to a form of disaster or the other. Pivotal infrastructures like finance, healthcare, education and security are driven by information technology. However, information technology and its benefits are accompanied by vulnerabilities and risks that can be exploited by people with the necessary technical skills. Individuals like ‘Hackers’ and ‘Cyber Terrorist’ can cause disruption to information systems, commit financial fraud and also attack computers and networks. These attacks and disruptions could result to violence against people and properties. In some cases, death, serious injuries and severe economic loss could occur as a result of these attacks.

iPremier’s procedures were absolutely deficient. They had an outdated emergency manual that employees couldn’t find, and almost couldn’t access the data center. Additional measures they could have implemented long before the attack include revising the emergency procedure and making sure all employees know how to follow it.

The government can implement many new methods to increase security, or better yet give off the image of better security which is what they have predominantly done, yet ultimately there will always be a way to bypass or come up with a new way to infiltrate that measure. The government so far has done a variety of things ranging from the closing of the Dulles airport (permanently), working with the FAA on new security measures, having pilots carry handguns, and a not so specific, profiling.

Cybersecurity is a thought-provoking and interesting issue. The use of cyberattacks in US as a

National security has been top priority of the United States after World War II. This is due to the fact that the United States before this time was relatively an isolationist country with no influence in the world. As a result national security was not important, this changed post World War II. The United States found themselves among the top, overnight they went from being new and not listened to, to becoming one of the major players in the world. Because of this they began to face new problems. One of those problems is cyber terrorism. This paper will discuss what cyberterrorism is, the effects it has on the public, and the tools in place to combat it.

Throughout the years, there has been a steady increase in the amount of cyber crime committed. Technology is a constantly changing entity, constantly evolving, always progressing. Naturally this can make it hard to stay on top of things. In turn, law enforcement runs into various issues regarding cyber crime and cyber terrorism. Cyber crime and terrorism is so complex of a crime that it can be hard to break down the barriers that can lead to justifying the action. Major issues that are prominent in cyber crime and terrorism are that laws vary greatly from country to country. There is also a major lack of knowledge and equipment in many departments as well as training. On top of these major issues, there are also issues with reporting these