Introduction
The advent of technological advancements has completely changed the way people interact. One of the embodiment of these advancements is the emergence of a new form of terrorism christened cyber terrorism. Importantly, the advancements in technology have completely changed the face of terrorism. Unlike in the past where terrorism was primarily involved the use of weapons such as grenades and bombs, the current form of terrorism is carried out through on the cyberspace. It involves a combination of cyberspace and terrorism. Terrorists who use the cyberspace to launch attacks against network systems of their victims are called cyber terrorists. In the past several years, there has been several cases of cyber terrorism in the United States. The impact of cyber terrorism can be huge as it may affect an individual or the economy of a country; hence, it is imperative to formulate measures to prevent and fight this form of terrorism.
Nature of Cyber Terrorism
Currently, there are many misinterpretations about the real meaning of the concept – ‘cyber terrorism’. This concept consists of two components, which are cyber and terrorism. Essentially, cyber is used to define anything related the use of computers; however, there is no precise definition of terrorism. This is primarily because different people have their own understanding of the term - terrorism. Fundamentally, cyber terrorism can be used to refer to the use of computers to advance goals of terrorism (Sherman 23).
In most of the cases, terrorists use the cyberspace to launch attacks such as bombing people or places. Through advanced technology, they are able to locate their target location and launch a precise attack. The likelihood of such an attack to kill masses of people is high because they have used modern technology to target their victims. Clearly, cyber terrorism is destructive and can lead to death of many people.
Recent reports indicate that there has been an increase in the number of cyber-attacks in the United States. For example, in 2012, there were more than 30,000 attempted breaches of government information. In essence, the main objective of such cyber-attacks is to access government information and use it for devious purposes.
Cyber terrorists remotely access computer systems and modify information in the computers. Some of the cyber terrorists steal private information from the computers for personal purposes such as selling them to other criminals. Besides, there are some cyber terrorists who are very inhumane in that they may disrupt the air-traffic control systems. Definitely, this will lead to air collision resulting to the death of many people. Notably, a cyber-terrorist does not have to be physically present at the target location, but he/she can work remotely from another place.
Cyber terrorism is carried out through the use of software programs such as logic bombs, computer viruses, eavesdropping sniffers, Trojan horses and worms. These software programs are extremely powerful and can destruct a computer system in a short period of time. Moreover, the cyber terrorists use high tech hardware such as electromagnetic pulse weapons, high-energy radio frequency weapons and jamming equipment (Awan and Brian 17).
Causes and Effects of Cyber Terrorism in the United States
The primary cause of cyber terrorism is cyber terrorists. They use different software programs, and high tech hardware to attack computer systems. In most of the cases, they find a vulnerability in a computer system and exploit it. They can take few minutes or several days to launch a successful cyber-attack. For example, when attacking a personal computer, it can take only a couple of minutes and they are able to access confidential information from the computer. However, if it is government computer systems, cyber terrorists can take many days trying to find a vulnerability. Unquestionably, the main cause of cyber terrorism is the use of software programs and high tech hardware by cyber terrorists.
There are many effects of cyber terrorism in the United States. First, cyber terrorism might significantly affect the critical national infrastructures of the country (Jayaswal 31). Some of the country’s infrastructures that may be affected include hospitals, military operations, water supplies, and telecommunication and banking institutions. This can cripple the operations of the country; hence, lead to a major crisis. Besides, this may lead to protests by citizens compelling the government to do something to bring life back to normality.
Another effect of cyber terrorism is the psychological effect. People who have been victims of cyber-attacks are highly likely to suffer from stress. For example, if one has lost confidential information to a hacker, he/she may be worried that his/her information may be posted on the Internet or compromise his/her banking information. The psychological effect of cyber terrorism cannot be overlooked because it can lead to death of the victims.
Furthermore, there is the emotional effect of cyber terrorism. As a result of a cyber-attack, one may suffer emotionally. For example, if one is in charge of a computer system, and it is attacked, he/she will be taken to task to explain what happened. This can negatively affect the mental health of a person; thus, lead to mental problems.
Examples of Past Successful and Failed Cyber Attacks
In the recent times, there has been several cyber-attacks in the United States. The main successful ones have been the attacks on the banking systems. In 2012, several banks were hardly hit by a wave of cyber-attacks. Some of the banks that were affected include the US bank, Bank of America, SunTrust, Wells Fargo and JPMorgan Chase bank. The main intention of the cyber terrorists involved in these attacks was to flood the website of each bank; thus, rendering it unavailable. Notably, websites are normally configured to handle a set amount of traffic, but when this traffic significantly increases, the website is likely to shut down.
Another successful cyber-attack was the Denial of Service attack in 1999, which affected several reputable media websites. Some of the media companies that were affected included CNN and Yahoo. This attack was carried out by cyber terrorists who used university servers to launch attacks on the targeted websites. Especially, due to the cyber-attacks, the stocks of the affected media corporations significantly declined.
Even though, most cyber-attacks in the United States have been successful, there is a recent attack that failed. This was an attack carried out by people alleged to be from China who attempted to infiltrate the United States’ defense system in order to steal vital information regarding various military equipment. Aptly, the defense system is configured with advanced encryption technology; hence, making it difficult for cyber terrorists to infiltrate the system.
Impact of Cyber Attacks
Cyber-attacks can have different levels of impacts on the targeted individuals, organizations or a country. Basically, the cyber-attacks can have either a high impact or a low impact. Examples of high impact of cyber-attacks include loss of intellectual property, decline of sales, significant effect on the economy and costs incurred on recovering information lost and litigation costs (Colarik 44). For example, cyber-attacks can have a significant impact on the overall economy of the United States. Besides, it can lead to decline of stock prices, which greatly affects the profitability of a company. If a website is attacked, customers will be unable to purchase a product or transact business with the company. This may lead to a decline of sales; thus, lead to the company incurring huge losses.
On the other hand, cyber-attacks can have low impacts. These may include loss of trust in the use of the computers, loss of confidence in the financial systems, loss of future customer revenues and strained business relationships (Carr and Lewis 29). For example, people may lose confidence in the country’s financial systems as a result of a recent cyber-attack. This is because the cyber-attack exposes the weakness of the banking system; thus, customers may not feel safe to keep their money in the banks. Notably, it is easier to recover from low impacts of cyber-attacks than to recover from the high impacts. This is primarily because strategies can be formulated to offset the low impacts of cyber-attacks.
The Need to Take Seriously the Threat of Cyber Terrorism
Cyber terrorism is a serious threat and need to be taken seriously. As discussed above, it is evident that the effects of cyber terrorism can be catastrophic. Unlike in the past where countries could go to war after disagreements, now countries are more than willing to take the war to the cyberspace. Moreover, cyber-attacks paralyses all the operations of the government; thus, it poses a security threat to the country.
According to Clarke and Robert, cyber terrorism can threaten the security of a country (21). There are many cases where cyber-attacks have been used to infiltrate the security systems of a country. For example, North Korea can gain United States’ military intelligence through attacking the defense security systems. This is an act of cyber terrorism and can have serious implications to the country. Principally, access of U.S. military intelligence by another country is a serious threat to the security of the country. Therefore, it is imperative to take seriously the threat of cyber terrorism. This will ensure that the security of the country is guaranteed, and the economy does not suffer.
Preventing and Fighting Cyber Terrorism
There are many measures that can be taken in order to prevent and fight the threat of cyber terrorism. Primarily, the most effective way to prevent cyber terrorism is to develop best security policies. Every organization should put in place stringent laws to guide the use of the computer systems. Moreover, the management of the organization should use well-tested telecommunication system to ensure that there are no vulnerabilities in the system. In addition, the United States’ government and organizations should use security applications such antiviruses, intrusion detection systems and firewalls. This will hinder cyber terrorists from gaining access to the network systems.
In order to fight acts of cyber terrorism, it is essential to pursue and prosecute the perpetrators of this form of terrorism (Forest 18). The government and all stakeholders in different sectors of the economy should dedicate themselves to finding cyber terrorists. Despite the high cost involved in pursuing such criminals, arrest and prosecution of cyber terrorists will significantly reduce acts of cyber terrorism in the United States. In addition, the government should formulate strict cyber laws, which should impose harsh punishments on anyone caught committing acts of cyber terrorism. This can be an effective way of fighting cyber terrorism, as many criminals will fear facing the rule of law.
Furthermore, organization should have a recovery plan in place to ensure continuity of its operations. This is instrumental when the organization has been a victim of cyber-terrorism. Such a plan should focus on the restoration of the company’s network systems and recovery of the information lost. In some circumstances, the organization might have to purchase new advanced systems to boost the security of its information system.
Conclusion
It is evident that recent technological advancements have led to an increase in acts of cyber terrorism. It has significant effects on the lives of many people and the country. Past examples of successful cyber-attacks such as attacks on the banking institutions, have underscored the magnitude of this threat. Notably, more people are exposed to the threat of cyber terrorism; hence, it is essential to take this threat seriously. In order to combat this form of terrorism, organizations should develop best security policies and use security applications such as firewalls and antiviruses. These measures significantly help in preventing act of cyber terrorism. Furthermore, the United States’ government should pursue and prosecute perpetrators of cyber terrorism. The battle against cyber terrorism is expected to continue for a long period of time; therefore, it is important for the government to be on the forefront to prevent and fight this form of terrorism. Expectantly, implementation of the proposed measures would effectively deal with the threat of cyber terrorism.
Work Cited
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Carr, Jeffrey, and Lewis Shepherd. Inside Cyber Warfare. Sebastopol, Calif: O'Reilly Media, Inc, 2010. Print.
Clarke, Richard A, and Robert K. Knake. Cyber War: The Next Threat to National Security and What to Do About It. New York: Ecco, 2010. Print.
Colarik, Andrew M. Cyber Terrorism: Political and Economic Implications. Hershey, PA: Idea Group Pub, 2006. Print.
Forest, James J. F. Countering Terrorism and Insurgency in the 21st Century: International Perspectives. Westport, Conn: Praeger Security International, 2007. Print.
Jayaswal, Vinod K. Cyber Crime and Cyber Terrorism. New Delhi: RVS Books, 2010. Print.
Sherman, Mark. Cyber Crime and Cyber Terrorism. Washington, D.C.: Federal Judicial Center, 2002. Print.
