What Is Cyberterrorism?

Cyberterrorism is a terrorist activity with the intention of using a network and using the network as an attack target, in order to disrupt the political stability and economic security of the target country, disrupt social order, and create a sensational effect. The product of the expansion of the information technology field. With the development of the global information network, the destructive cyber terrorism is becoming a new threat to the world. With the help of the Internet, terrorists not only use information technology as a weapon for sabotage or disruption, but also use information technology to recruit soldiers online and use the network to achieve management, command and communication. For this reason, in the fight against terrorism, the prevention of cyber terrorism has become an important subject for maintaining national security.

Cyber terrorism

Cyberterrorism is a terrorist activity with the intention of using a network and using the network as an attack target, in order to disrupt the political stability and economic security of the target country, disrupt social order, and create a sensational effect. The product of the expansion of the information technology field. With the development of the global information network, the destructive cyber terrorism is becoming a new threat to the world. With the help of the Internet, terrorists not only use information technology as a weapon for sabotage or disruption, but also use information technology to recruit soldiers online and use the network to achieve management, command and communication. For this reason, in the fight against terrorism, the prevention of cyber terrorism has become an important subject for maintaining national security.

Chinese name

Cyber terrorism

Make use of

Network and network targeting

To

Undermine the political stability of the target country

Purpose

Terrorist activities that create a sensation

In 1997, Berlin, a senior researcher at the California Institute of Intelligence and Security. Colin first proposed the term "cyberterrorism" as a "product of the combination of cyber and terrorism." Since then, various definitions of cyberterrorism have emerged. The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) defines cyberterrorism as "premeditated, politically motivated attacks on information, computer systems, computer programs, and data by some NGOs or secret organizations to cause serious violence. "The United States Department of Defense (DOD) defines cyberterrorism as a criminal act that uses computer and telecommunications capabilities to create violence and the destruction or destruction of public facilities to create panic and social instability, designed to affect governments or Society achieves its specific political, religious or ideological goals.

Unlike nasty computer viruses or computer attacks that cause denial of service, cyber terrorism attacks are designed to cause violence or great financial damage. According to the U.S. Commission for the Protection of Critical Infrastructure, the targets of cyberterrorism may include banking, military installations, power stations, air traffic control centers, and water systems. ^[1]

There is a connection between cyber terrorism, traditional terrorism and hackers, but there are also differences in nature and degree. Cyberterrorism is first and foremost a terrorist activity, essentially an attempt to achieve its political or religious purpose by creating casualties that can arouse sufficient social attention. Compared with traditional terrorist activities, it does not cause direct casualties, and it uses more sophisticated and hidden technology. By spreading viruses, guessing passwords and then hacking into the system, hacking methods such as backdoor attacks and interception programs are introduced into Trojan horses to disrupt and destroy the information receiving and transmitting mechanism.

It can be said that cyber terrorists use hacking technology to achieve their political goals, but it is not like ordinary hacking attacks, but just out of personal preference or desire to become famous, causing general denial of service and trouble. It is for political purposes and wants to cause physical infringement or cause huge economic losses. Its possible targets include voice call systems, financial industries, power facilities, water supply systems, oil and gas energy, airport command centers, railway dispatchers, main features.

Why are terrorists so interested in using the Internet to attack compared to traditional terrorist methods such as assassinations, hostage-taking, and guerrilla warfare? We believe that the reason why cyber terrorism has such great charm for terrorists is that cyber terrorism has the following characteristics:

With the continuous development of information network technology, the possibility of cyber terrorist attacks will greatly increase in the future. Cyber terrorism is becoming a new and prominent issue in national security, international politics and international relations. More and more countries will prevent cyber terrorism Doctrine refers to the agenda of the national security strategy. From the current perspective, the main measures to prevent cyber terrorism are:

Cyber Terrorism Security Awareness Education

Attach importance to the cultivation of talents and the education of citizens' safety awareness, and mobilize the whole society to carry out national defense against cyber security. To date, no "electronic Pearl Harbor" incident has been able to awaken the public's awareness of taking action to protect the network. Many people do not realize the extent to which the national economy and national security depend on computers and information systems. Safeguarding cyberspace requires action by everyone, including the most general public. In the "National Strategy for Ensuring the Security of Cyberspace", the United States proposed to improve the "Internet Citizenship Plan" to educate children about online ethics and the correct use of the Internet and other communication methods; to establish cooperative relations between enterprises and information technology elites; Ensure that government employees have the awareness to protect the security of information systems; on the basis of the above actions, promote security awareness activities to other private sectors and the general public.

Many countries also realize that relying solely on the strength of the government is not enough. A comprehensive defense system must be established to mobilize all social forces that can be mobilized. In November 1998, the U.S. Department of Energy, the Natural Gas Research Institute, and the Electric Power Research Institute co-hosted the Energy Forum, which invited more than 100 power, gas, and oil companies and government representatives; in January 2001, more than 500 companies including IBM The companies joined an organization called the "InfraGard" set up by the FBI to fight increasingly rampant cybercrime.

Cyber Terrorism Management System

Establish corresponding institutions and improve the management system of network security. After the "9.11 Incident", the Bush administration immediately took action and set up the "Homeland Security Office", making combating cyber terrorist attacks one of its main responsibilities. In addition, the Homeland Security Office has added the President s Cyber Security Adviser, who is in charge of the President s Critical Infrastructure Protection Committee and is responsible for formulating and coordinating cyber counter-terrorism plans and actions of US government agencies. The United States also intends to merge some major cyber security agencies into the Department of Homeland Security to strengthen overall management.

Germany, Britain, Japan, Canada and other countries have also set up government agencies in charge of cyber security, such as the Internet Security Task Force, computer police, anti-computer hacker command center, and anti-terrorist task force. Degree of security, provide appropriate protection measures to combat and prevent cyber terrorist attacks. In February 2003, the European Commission announced the establishment of a joint plan to combat cyber attacks on important facilities such as electricity and water, and the establishment of the "European Network and Information Security Agency". The agency will employ 30 experts from 15 EU member states to increase the capacity of member states and the EU to prevent and deal with cyber and information security issues based on national measures to protect cyber and information security.

Cyber Terrorism Security Protection Network

Promote legislation and build a solid safety net. Since the 1980s, the United States has successively introduced a series of laws and regulations to combat cybercrime and hacking activities and maintain information security, including computer security laws, freedom of information laws, and so on. In July 2002, the U.S. House of Representatives passed the "Enhanced Computer Security Act", which stipulates that hackers can be sentenced to life imprisonment. Personnel have access to sensitive information to ensure the security of government computer systems and prevent cyber terrorist attacks.

Based on the original "Three R Security Rules", the United Kingdom promulgated the Electronic Information Law in July 2000, authorizing the relevant authorities to intercept and decode e-mail and other information exchanges. At the end of 2000, the Cybercrime Convention drafted by the European Commission was officially launched, and more than 40 countries including the United States have joined. The purpose of the convention is to adopt a unified international policy against computer crime and prevent criminal activities against computer systems, data and networks. In January 2000, Japan formulated the "Anti-Hacker Countermeasure Action Plan", which requires that special plans for computer terrorist activities be formulated before the end of the year, establish and improve laws that punish hackers, and strengthen the government's crisis control system.

Cyber Terrorism Cooperation

Strengthen the cooperation of the international community and establish an international cooperation system to jointly deal with the threat of cyber terrorism. A country's network connects itself with the rest of the world. The global network of various networks extends to the entire earth, enabling malicious people on a continent to attack network systems from thousands of miles away. Cross-border cyber attacks are particularly rapid, making it extremely difficult to track down and detect this malicious behavior. Therefore, if a country has the defense and protection capabilities to ensure its vital system and network security, it needs to establish an international cooperation system.

In May 2001, France and Japan co-chaired the G8 meeting entitled "Government Institutions and Private Sector Dialogue on Cyberspace Security and Confidence", the first international conference in the world focusing on combating cybercrime; 2001 In October, the G7 Finance Ministers' Meeting formulated an Action Plan to Combat Terrorism Financing, calling for enhanced information sharing on counter-terrorism, cutting off terrorist financial networks, and ensuring that the financial sector is not used by terrorists; November 2001 , 43 members of the European Commission and the United States, Japan, and South Africa have officially signed the Treaty against Cybercrime, which is the first international convention on cybercrime; In addition, U.S. cyber-terrorism experts are advocating the development of an international cyber weapon Control treaties.

In short, stopping cyber terrorism requires the cooperation of governments, companies and even everyone from all over the world. Starting with prevention and taking precautionary measures at every step, in order to make the cyber world safe. One foot high and one foot high, the cyber fight between humans and terrorists will be a difficult and protracted battle.