Cyber Terrorism Attacks

Abstract

Cyber terrorism is the premeditated, politically motivated attacks against information, computer systems, computer programs, and data which result in violence against non-combatant targets by sub-national groups or clandestine agents. The possibilities created for cyber terrorism by the use of technology via the internet are vast. Government computer networks, financial networks, power plants, etc are all possible targets as terrorism may identify these as the most appropriate features to corrupt or disarm in order to cause havoc. Manipulation of systems via software with secret "back doors", theft of classified files, erasing data, re-writing web pages, introducing viruses, etc are just a few examples of how terrorism can penetrate secure systems. This chapter provides a brief overview of previous cyber terrorism attacks and government responses.