Cyber Terrorism: What Is It?
In the recent past, there continues to be a great deal of attention given to terrorism. Although a lot of this attention has been directed toward countermeasures to protect international concerns, physical plants, and airports, little attention has been awarded to the idea of cyberterrorism (Desouza & Hensgen, 2003). Terrorists are becoming technologically innovative through the provision of information and communication support (Colarik, 2006). The technological invention enables cyber terror as well as serve as the target of the onslaught. For instance, the Internet can perform a role in assisting with training, organisation, indoctrination, recruitment, networking and funding (De Borchgrave, Sanderson, & Harned, 2007). Nevertheless, when terrorists use critical infrastructure systems as their targets, the impact can be much more widespread.
In contrast, Cyber terrorism signifies the convergence of two worlds: virtual and physical. The virtual world is an area where computer programs performance and also information moves, whereas the physical world is where people live and function. The merging of these two domains is the interface being targeted in the incidence of cyber terrorism. In addition, unlike classic terrorism, cyber-terrorism operates from a virtual landscape that is very hard to grasp.
The Definitions
Based on literature review (Matusitz, 2011), (Dogrul, Aslan, & Celik, 2011), (Conway, 2011), (Yunos, Ahmad, Syahrul Hafidz Suid, & Ismail, 2010), and (William, 2010), it is noted that there is no consensus agreement on the concept of cyber terrorism. Nevertheless, in 2005, Weimann described cyber-terrorism as the utilisation of computer network tools to harm or shut down critical national infrastructures such as energy, transportation, and government operations. Or to coerce or perhaps intimidate a government as well as the civilian population (Lewis, 2002). The concept of cyber terrorism would be that as nations and critical infrastructure became far more reliant on computer networks for their operation, new vulnerabilities are created. A hostile government or group may exploit these vulnerabilities to penetrate inadequately protected computer network and disrupt or even shut down critical functions (Lewis, 2002). Moreover, (Desouza & Hensgen, 2003) defined cyberterrorism as “A purposeful act, politically or personally driven, that is intended to disrupt or wreck the stability of organizational or national interests, through the use of electronic devices which are directed at information systems, computer programs, as well as any other electronic means of communications, transfer, and storage.
In common with other definitions, cyber-terrorism refers to computer-generated attacks that target other computers in cyberspace or the information they contain. Similar to cyberwarfare and hacktivism, cyber-terrorism occurs entirely within cyberspace. It is, in this perception, the “convergence of terrorism and cyberspace, with computer technology offering as equally weapon and target. This distinguishes cyber-terrorism from traditional terrorism, incorporating the utilisation of cyberspace by terrorists to prepare for brick and mortar attacks when terrorists employ the internet to study targets for bombings or kidnappings, they exploit computer technology as a weapon, not a target (Kenney, 2015).
In essence, Cyber-terrorism not only appears to be an emergent form of terrorism that escapes the definition of unlawful violence, but the paradox often lies the nation-state, which was initially designed to safeguard citizens, violates the constitutional rights in the name of security. After a decade of hearings in U.S Congress, there is still little agreement on whether and when cyber strikes constitute an act of war, an act of terrorism, mere espionage, or cyber-enabled vandalism.
In a recent study (Yunos et al. 2017), (Denning, 2000) & (Lewis, 2002), the authors argue that certain elements must be satisfied to construe cyber terrorism, and these elements of cyber terrorism are as follows:
· Politically-motivated cyber-attacks that lead to death or bodily injury
· Cyber-attacks that cause fear and/or physical harm through cyber-attack techniques
· Serious attacks against critical information infrastructures such as financial, energy, transportation and government operations
· Attacks that disrupt non-essential services are not considered cyber terrorism and,
· Attacks that are not primarily focused on monetary gain
As previously mentioned, (Kenney, 2015), the author argues that Cyberterrorism belongs to the same metaphorical class or “genus” of events as cyberattacks, cyber-war, and “hacktivism.” In spite of their similarities, there are essential differences between them, as there are between any species that share a common genus. Additionally, the author also stated that the objective of cyber-terrorism is to terrorise. There can be no cyberterrorism without terrorism — and no terrorism without terror. Therefore, it is possible to agree with (Korstanje, 2017) that cyber-espionage, cyber-terrorism and cyber-crime are concepts inextricably intertwined.
In Australia, there were concerns recently over the security of government information regarding the Australian Census. As Australians began filling out the Census online, with personal details being held on government systems for four years, many took issue. Especially when the Australian Bureau of Statistics was supposedly hacked with a ‘denial of service’ on the actual night of August 9th. However, having eight million households on one particular website at the same time is going to be more of an issue for IBM. However, the fear of sabotage, manipulation of information and even blackmail has come under fire through the surge in Cyber-attacks across the globe (ASI Solutions, 2018).
Conclusion
As critical National Information Infrastructure (CNII) is crucial to the survivability of a nation. The destruction or disruption of these systems and communication networks would significantly affect the economic strength, image, defence and security, government capabilities to function, and public health and safety. CNII would probably become an attractive target for terrorists as the result of cyber-attacks could leave the nation with severe conditions due to the disruption of critical services.
There are well-researched evidence of ITC and cyberspace being used by terrorists (Espeseth, Gibson, Jones, & Goodman, 2013), (Chen, Thoms, & Fu, 2008), (Conway, 2002), (Brunst, 2010), (Taylor, Fritsch, & Liederbach, 2014), (Freiburger, & Crane, 2008) and (Lachow, & Richardson, 2007), and so on. These authors agree that terrorist groups have taken full advantage of the opportunities that the internet provides, and the unique influence that the internet has on terrorist efforts and the need for effective counter-terrorist strategies.
Additionally, the fact that attack on critical infrastructure is not merely an ordinary criminal matter but rather an issue of national security makes it more urgent for policymakers to come up with policies or laws addressing various topics ranging from information sharing to public-private cooperation, from technical solutions to security procedures, and from public awareness to law enforcement.
Given the Australian government concerns, in April 2016, Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull pledged $230 million over four years under the Cyber Security Strategy. He has admitted there were two major breaches in recent years, one on the Federal Parliament’s email system, the other was the Bureau of Meteorology (Malcolm Turnbull, 2016).
Lastly, Cyber terrorism is about threat perception, which makes the notion differ from an individual to another. This is due to multidimensional structures (or components) of cyber terrorism that prompted many to interpret it in different ways at different levels. Therefore, understanding differences and similarities in the perception of what constitutes cyber terrorism can provide insight to the policymakers and researchers to countering such threats.
