Cyberterrorism refers to the tendency of unauthorized access to another organization’s computer system and launching attacks into the computer system by either fraudulently accessing information or spoiling that information. According to Lewis (2002), cyberterrorism involves launching an attack on a computer system without their knowledge to cause havoc and paralyzing a nation’s activities. Modern society widely uses computers in doing almost everything; thus, terrorists target computer systems to hurt countries and organizations. It has become the new form of terrorism and the modern crime that needs to be addressed by security organizations. They include hacking computer systems, engaging in email-related crimes, and instilling computer viruses to cause destruction to systems.
Intentions for cyberterrorism : Cyberterrorism comes in different forms, which are defined by the motivational factor behind cyber terrorism. Different cyberterrorists conduct crime for different reasons and target a different set of computer systems (Al Mazari et al., 2018). Security systems should know the intentions of cyber terrorists to enable them to understand their movements and be in a good position to protect computer systems from such attacks. Cyberterrorism targeting infrastructure- Intended at destroying the operational ability of an enemy. Cyberterrorism can be politically instigated-
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Meant for destroying the reputation of a country, an organization, or an individual.
Cyberterrorism can also be conducted with the intention of persuading the targeted people or organizations to change their affiliation.
Demonstrating might and capability of inflicting attack to one’s followers.
Cyberterrorism for theft: accessing cryptocurrency and stealing funds from financial companies.
Cyberterrorism is meant for intimidation of the government.
Cyberterrorism is meant for the creation of annoyance.
Types of Cyberterrorism Attacks (Albahar, 2019):
Advanced structured attack
Simple unstructured attack
Complex coordinated attack
Denial of service
Disinformation
Incursion
Destruction
Websites defacement
Cyberterrorism on Social Media: An emerging form of cyberterrorism : Social media platforms have become a common target and ground for cyber terrorists to advance their intentions. Social media platforms are continuing to attract more active users every day for their flexibility and simple nature (Parlakkılıç, 2018). This makes them an easy target for cyber terrorists. Individuals, organizations, and government agencies use social media for information dissemination.
How social media is used for crime; distribution of malware and other tools of cyberterrorism, spreading malware for crypto-mining, bullying people.
Categories of threat on social media cyberterrorism: Propaganda, financing, training cyberterrorists, planning for cybercrimes, and execution.
Dealing with Cyberterrorism : There are various ways that security systems can employ in dealing with cyberterrorism attacks (Gordon & Ford, 2002). Dealing with them can either be in the form of preventing cyberterrorism or dealing with the aftermath.
Prevention
Developing security strategies.
Being proactive.
Installing security software (Gordon & Ford, 2002).
Increasing security awareness.
Dealing with the Aftermath:
Prosecution of perpetrators.
Establishment of disaster recovery plans.
Conclusion
It is quite evident how cyberterrorism has emerged as a new form of terrorism used in the 21st Century. Technology, despite having a whole load of advantages, has come with challenges, cyberterrorism being a major one. Cyberterrorists execute their plans with different intentions, which define their motivational factors. The different intentions of cyber terrorists range from politically instigated attacks, theft, government intimidation, and the simple desire for the creation of annoyance. Cyber terrorism comes in different forms; the different types of attacks define how different attackers conduct their work. Social media is an emerging trend in cyber-terrorism that ought to be looked at. Due to its growing usage, cyber terrorists are using social media as a tool and target for their work. Fortunately, cyberterrorism can be managed. There are various ways through which cyberterrorism can be prevented or managed after the occurrence.
References
Al Mazari, A., Anjariny, A. H., Habib, S. A., & Nyakwende, E. (2018). Cyber terrorism taxonomies: Definition, targets, patterns, risk factors, and mitigation strategies. In Cyber Security and Threats: Concepts, Methodologies, Tools, and Applications (pp. 608-621). IGI Global.
Albahar, M. (2019). Cyber attacks and terrorism: a twenty-first century conundrum. Science and engineering ethics , 25 (4), 993-1006.
Gordon, S., & Ford, R. (2002). Cyberterrorism?. Computers & Security , 21 (7), 636-647.
Lewis, J. A. (2002). Assessing the risks of cyber terrorism, cyber war and other cyber threats . Washington, DC: Center for Strategic & International Studies.
Parlakkılıç, A. (2018). Cyber Terrorism Through Social Media: A Categorical Based Preventive Approach. International Journal of Information Security Science , 7 (4), 172-178.
