Terrorism and Cyber Crime

1. Introduction
- Terrorism is a process that involves acts or threats, emotional reactions and the social effects of the acts or threats and the resultant actions.

2. What is Cyber Crime

3. Significance of the Study

4. Outbreak of Cyber Terrorism: An Anti – Social Movement

5. The Myth of Cyber Terrorism

6. Roots of Cyber Terrorism

7. Evolution and Development of Cyber terrorism

8. Evolution of Cyber Terrorism

9. Threats of Cyber terrorism

10. Appeal of Cyber terrorism for Terrorist

“Technology is dominated by two types of people; those who understand what they do not manage, and those who manage what they do not understand. -Putt’s Law

A) Introduction to the Topic: 

Terrorism is a process that involves acts or threats, emotional reactions and the social effects of the acts or threats and the resultant actions. Terrorism in a cyber setting involves all of the above components within a rapidly changing technological environment which influences terrorist resources and opportunities. These changes directly affect terrorist tactics, targets and weapons and have spawned growing discussion of a new terrorist tactic called “Cyber Terrorism”.

Cyber era makes the world short whereas cyber terrorism shortens the life of world. Cyber terrorism which has acquired omnipresent and global phenomenon requires proper treatment to cure its ill repercussions.

The Cyber net which overshadowed the whole world the technique which evolved and developed to make life speedier–now the virus beneath the mask of terrorism with blind motive and intention–which disturbed and destroyed this system–thereby endanger the Universal humanity.

What is Cyber Crime?

Crime is an act or omission prohibited by law. Cyber crimes are the latest and most specialised evil having its origin in the computers. A new generation of a crime has developed with the advent of computers and internet.

Any criminal activity that uses a computer either as an instrumentality, target or a means for perpetuating further crimes comes within the ambit of cyber crime. A generalised definition of cyber crime may be ‘unlawful acts wherein the computer is either a tool or target or both’.

* Prof. Mahendra Subhash Khairnar, Lecturer in Law, Pune

Definitions:

Cyber Crimes are crimes committed in electronic mediums where mens rea is not a requirement. The Cambridge Dictionary defines Cyber Crimes as a crime committed with the use of computers or relate to computers especially through the Internet[1].

 “Computer Crimes have been broadly defined as any illegal act that involves a computer, its systems, or its applications[2].”

C) Significance of the Study:

As we are living in 21^st Century which is called as an InfoTech Age we should well aware about the various aspects of the information technology. The civilians used computers to secure their important data however at the same time the various security aspects should be taken into consideration; As many people are not well aware about the developments and growth in communications, computers and the internet. The various concepts of electronic communication are unaware to the common man because of lack of knowledge, infrastructure and poverty. The common man should be literate so as to secure the information which is preserved in electronic form. The Government should also take various steps pertaining to the protection of data.

The very few well educated people use their knowledge for an illegal purpose. The experts in Information Technology track the valuable information regarding defence and security of the nation. Such type of the act may threaten to the national and international peace. So as to protect the interest of nation we have to do research in such a field like cyber terrorism.

Due to the emergence of computer networking and development in the area of internet and its frequent use in the area of terrorism create several legal issues. Hence the study of this area is necessary to solve the legal issues and suggest the measures to control the problems.

Outbreak of Cyber Terrorism: An Anti – Social Movement

Cyber terrorism by its very title is terrorism that involves a cyber component. As such, it is essentially the same as any other terrorism. Cyber terrorism is however, unique from other terrorist tactics because in latter their exist intimate relationship with computers. Barry Collins, who is said to have coined the term, defines cyber terrorism as “the intentional abuse of a digital information system, network, or component toward an end that supports or facilitates a terrorist campaign or action.”[3]

Cyber-terrorism is the leveraging of a target's computers and information technology, particularly via the Internet, to cause physical, real-world harm or severe disruption.

As the Internet becomes more pervasive in all areas of human endeavor, individuals or groups can use the anonymity afforded by cyberspace to threaten citizens, specific groups (i.e. members of an ethnic group or belief), communities and entire countries, without the inherent threat of capture, injury, or death to the attacker that  physical presence would bring[4].

Further definitions of cyber terrorism have been advanced by Dorothy Denning and Rod Stark. Denning argues that:

“Cyber terrorism is the convergence of terrorism and cyber space. It is generally understood to mean unlawful attacks against computers, networks and the information stored therein when done to intimidate or coerce a government or its people in furtherance of political or social objectives, such attack should result in violence against persons or property, or at least cause enough harm to generate fear.”

Stark submits a definition similar to Denning’s in that it attempts to capture both the conventional and cyber aspects of cyber terrorism. He writes:

“Cyber terrorism is defined as the purposeful or threatened use of politically, socially, economically or religiously motivated cyber warfare or cyber – targeted violence, conducted by a non – state or state – sponsored group for the purposes of crating fear, anxiety , and panic in the target population , and the disruption of military and civilian assets.”

The most widely cited paper on the issue of Cyber Terrorism is Denning’s Testimony before the Special Oversight Panel on Terrorism (Denning, 2000). Here, she makes the following statement: Cyber Terrorism is the convergence of terrorism and cyberspace. It is generally understood to mean unlawful attacks and threats of attack against computers, networks, and the information stored therein when done to intimidate or coerce a government or its people in furtherance of political or social objectives. Further, to qualify as cyber terrorism, an attack should result in violence against persons or property, or at least cause enough harm to generate fear. Attacks that lead to death or bodily injury, explosions, plane crashes, water contamination, or severe economic loss would be examples. Serious attacks against critical infrastructures could be acts of cyber terrorism, depending on their impact. Attacks that disrupt nonessential services or that are mainly a costly nuisance would not[5].

 The Myth of Cyber Terrorism:

Again and again since September 11, President Bush, Vice President Cheney, and senior administration officials have alerted the public not only to the dangers of chemical, biological, and nuclear weapons but also to the further menace of cyber Terrorism. "Terrorists can sit at one computer connected to one network and can create worldwide havoc," warned Homeland Security Director Tom Ridge in a representative observation last April[6]." [They] don't necessarily need a bomb or explosives to cripple a sector of the economy, or shut down a power grid."

Even before September 11, Bush was fervently depicting an America imminently in danger of an attack by cyber Terrorists, warning during his presidential campaign that "American forces are overused and under funded precisely when they are confronted by a host of new threats and challenges--the spread of weapons of mass destruction, the rise of cyber Terrorism, the proliferation of missile technology." In other words, the country is confronted not just by the specter of terrorism, but by a menacing new breed of it that is technologically advanced, little understood, and difficult to defend against. Since September 11, these concerns have only multiplied. A survey of 725 cities conducted by the National League of Cities for the anniversary of the attacks shows that cyber Terrorism ranks with biological and chemical weapons atop officials' lists of fears.

Concern over cyber Terrorism is particularly acute in Washington. As is often the case with a new threat, an entire industry has arisen to grapple with its ramifications--think tanks have launched new projects and issued white papers, experts have testified to its dangers before Congress, private companies have hastily deployed security consultants and software designed to protect public and private targets, and the media have trumpeted the threat with such front-page headlines as this one, in The Washington Post last June: "Cyber-Attacks by Al Qaeda Feared, Terrorists at Threshold of Using Internet as Tool of Bloodshed, Experts Say[7].”

Roots of Cyber Terrorism:

Roots of the notion of cyber terrorism can be traced back to the early 1990s, when the rapid growth in internet use and the debate on the emerging “information society” sparked several studies on the potential risks faced by the highly networked, high – tech dependent United States. As early as 1990, the US National Academy of Sciences began a report on computer security with the words, “We are at risk. Increasingly, America depends on computers….. Tomorrows terrorist may be able to do more damage with a keyboard than with a bomb.” At the same time, the prototypical term, “electronic Pearl Harbor” was coined linking the threat of a computer attack to an American historical trauma. Psychological, political and economic forces have combined to promote the fear of cyber terrorism. From a psychological perspective, two of the greatest fears of modern time are combined in the term “cyber terrorism”.

After 9/11, the security and terrorism discourse soon featured cyber terrorism prominently. This was understandable, given that more nightmarish attacks were expected and that cyber terrorism seemed to offer Al Qaeda opportunities to inflict enormous damage[8].

Evolution and Development of Cyber terrorism:

The evolution of Cyber terrorism can be analysed by examining how access to cyber technology is perceived and used by the terrorist groups. To use of the subjects are presented by Schmitt and Rathmell. Schmitt distinguishes between information operations and computer network attacks. The former is defined as encompassing “virtually any non-consensual actions intended to discover, alter, destroy, disrupt or transfer data stored in a computer, manipulated by a computer or transmitted through a computer network”. Information systems can be either defensive or offensive in nature. Computer network attacks are considered offensive information operations and “disrupt, deny, degrade, or destroy information resident in computers and computer networks[9].

Evolution of Cyber Terrorism:         

Cyber Terrorism is the convergence of terrorism and cyberspace. It is generally understood to mean unlawful attacks and threats of attack against computers, networks, and the information stored therein when done to intimidate or coerce a government or its people in furtherance of political or social objectives. Further, to qualify as Cyber Terrorism, an attack should result in violence against persons or property, or at least cause enough harm to generate fear. Attacks that lead to death or bodily injury, explosions, plane crashes, water contamination, or severe economic loss would be examples. Serious attacks against critical infrastructures could be acts of cyber Terrorism, depending on their impact. Attacks that disrupt nonessential services or that are mainly a costly nuisance would not.

Cyberspace is constantly under assault. Cyber spies, thieves, saboteurs, and thrill seekers break into computer systems, steal personal data and trade secrets, vandalize Web sites, disrupt service, sabotage data and systems, launch computer viruses and worms, conduct fraudulent transactions, and harass individuals and companies. These attacks are facilitated with increasingly powerful and easy-to-use software tools, which are readily available for free from thousands of Web sites on the Internet.

Many of the attacks are serious and costly. The recent ILOVEYOU virus and variants, for example, was estimated to have hit tens of millions of users and cost billions of dollars in damage. The February denial-of-service attacks against Yahoo, CNN, eBay, and other e-commerce Web sites was estimated to have caused over a billion in losses. It also shook the confidence of business and individuals in e-commerce.

Some attacks are conducted in furtherance of political and social objectives, as the following examples illustrate:

· In 1996, a computer hacker allegedly associated with the White Supremacist movement temporarily disabled a Massachusetts ISP and damaged part of the ISP's record keeping system. The ISP had attempted to stop the hacker from sending out worldwide racist messages under the ISP's name. The hacker signed off with the threat, "you have yet to see true electronic terrorism. This is a promise."  

·  In 1998, Spanish protestors bombarded the Institute for Global Communications (IGC) with thousands of bogus e-mail messages. E-mail was tied up and undeliverable to the ISP's users, and support lines were tied up with people who couldn't get their mail. The protestors also spammed IGC staff and member accounts, clogged their Web page with bogus credit card orders, and threatened to employ the same tactics against organizations using IGC services. They demanded that IGC stop hosting the Webs site for the Euskal Herria Journal, a New York-based publication supporting Basque independence. Protestors said IGC supported terrorism because a section on the Web pages contained materials on the terrorist group ETA, which claimed responsibility for assassinations of Spanish political and security officials, and attacks on military installations. IGC finally relented and pulled the site because of the "mail bombings."

·  In 1998, ethnic Tamil guerrillas swamped Sri Lankan embassies with 800 e-mails a day over a two-week period. The messages read "We are the Internet Black Tigers and we're doing this to disrupt your communications." Intelligence authorities characterized it as the first known attack by terrorists against a country's computer systems.

· During the Kosovo conflict in 1999, NATO computers were blasted with e-mail bombs and hit with denial-of-service attacks by hacktivists protesting the NATO bombings. In addition, businesses, public organizations, and academic institutes received highly politicized virus-laden e-mails from a range of Eastern European countries, according to reports. Web defacements were also common. After the Chinese Embassy was accidentally bombed in Belgrade, Chinese hacktivists posted messages such as "We won't stop attacking until the war stops!" on U.S. government Websites.

· Since December 1997, the Electronic Disturbance Theater (EDT) has been conducting Web sit-ins against various sites in support of the Mexican Zapatistas. At a designated time, thousands of protestors point their browsers to a target site using software that floods the target with rapid and repeated download requests. EDT's software has also been used by animal rights groups against organizations said to abuse animals. Electro hippies, another group of hack activists, conducted Web sit-ins against the WTO when they met in Seattle in late 1999. These sit-ins all require mass participation to have much effect, and thus are more suited to use by activists than by terrorists[10].

Threats of Cyber terrorism:

Many studies have dealt with terrorism by examining the nature of terrorist group characteristics and their resultant behaviour. Few, however, have taken into account how the cyber environment will impact this behaviour. In order to assess accurately the nature of the terrorist threat in this decade, it is imperative to include the significance of this factor into future analyses.

Perhaps the most profound environmental change to affect the course of terrorism in the last decade has been the collapse of the former Soviet Union. The end of the cold war and the rise of the present American hegemony have had important implications for the many political ideologies that have encouraged and sustained terrorist campaigns over the last forty years. In particular, the goal of a left-backed global evolution is no longer tenable[11].

Appeal of Cyber terrorism for Terrorist:

Cyber terrorism is an attractive option for modern terrorist for several reasons.

First, it is cheaper than traditional terrorist methods. All that the terrorist needs is a personal computer and an online connection.

Second, Cyber terrorism is more anonymous than traditional methods.

Third, the variety and number of targets are enormous. The cyber terrorism could target the computers and computer networks of governments, individuals, public utilities, private airlines, and so forth.

Fourth, cyber terrorism can be conducted remotely, a feature that is especially appealing to terrorist. Cyber terrorism requires less physical training, psychological investment, risk of mortality, and travel than conventional forms of terrorism, making it easier for terrorist organisations to recruit and retain followers.

Fifth, As the I Love You virus showed, cyber terrorism has the potential in affect directly a larger number of people than traditional terrorist methods, thereby generating greater media coverage, which is ultimately what terrorists want.

“The modern thief can steal more with a computer than with a gun. Tomorrow’s terrorist may be able to do more damage with a keyboard than with a bomb”. -National Research Council in 1991