Topic > Cyber ​​terrorism as a major security challenge

IndexThe motivation of cyber terrorism actsTypes of cyber terrorism capabilitiesForms of cyber terrorismIllegal access (hacking)Data alterationDefacementData espionageDenial-of-Service (DOS) attacksSyntactic attacksSemantic attacksCyberbullyingSpread of terrorist content Examples of cyber terrorism attacks in the past The impacts of cyber terrorism In today's growing reliance on cyber technology, a new threat is beginning to emerge on the digital frontier. Our daily lives are digitally integrated through computers and mobile devices. Our nation's infrastructure and public services are also connected and accessible via a computer, making them more vulnerable. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay Cyberterrorism is defined as the use of computers and information technologies for terrorist purposes. NATO describes cyber terrorism as an attack by hackers targeting the details of computer networks, while the FBI describes cyber terrorism as an organized and politically connected action. The purpose of cyberattacks is to incite fear through destruction and threaten a company, government, organization, or individual. A broad explanation of cyber terrorism is the use of IT with the aim of causing damage to computer networks, servers or databases for political, religious, social and ideological reasons. Cyber ​​terrorism is a big problem and will get worse in the future as today everything has been done in cyberspace. The purpose of this document is to educate people who do not know what cyber terrorism is, the techniques of cyber terrorism, and how it affects Internet users. and governments. Understanding the threat of cybercrimes is a very pertinent issue because it has a great impact on our society as a whole. Cyber ​​terrorism is growing every day because, as technological advancement in computers makes it very easy for anyone to steal without physically harming anyone, due to the general public's lack of knowledge about how cyber crimes are committed and how they can protect themselves from such threats that cybercrime poses. This document will discuss several aspects of cyber terrorism, including the definition of the term, why cyber crimes occur, the laws that govern them, methods of committing cyber crimes, who is affected, and prevention procedures. In this study, mixed method research involves both collecting and analyzing quantitative and qualitative data in sequential order. The first step in the analysis cycle is to frame a theory or hypothesis from the cyberterrorism literature, which can be used as an initial guide for data collection and analysis. Once the theory or hypothesis is generated, questionnaires are developed to gain an in-depth understanding of the phenomena under investigation. Data collection is a semi-structured method using in-depth interviews. Interviews are part of most interpretive studies and are a key way to access the interpretations of informants in the field. Since the first phase is explanatory in nature, data analyzes are performed using a grounded theory approach. Qualitative research includes a variety of methodological approaches, and one example is grounded theory. As mentioned above, the term grounded theory refers to a theory gained from a collection of data through literature, interviews, and observations. In the next stage, a is appliedquantitative approach to corroborate the researcher's initial finding. A survey with a closed-ended question format is used for collecting data to determine the views and opinions of the population representing various groups in society. At this stage, the researcher's goal is to test the theory or hypothesis, the result of which is generalized to a larger representative sample. Statistical analysis is performed to test the validity of the theory or hypothesis. Numerical results help to interpret the results, where a clearer interpretation of the statistical results is obtained. All relevant methodological issues discussed in this paper provide justification and practical approach to how research is conducted. The methodology explained in this document provides researchers with the right direction and understanding in conducting research by choosing the right research design. Research design as defined by Cooper and Schindler is a plan and structure of inquiry designed to obtain answers to research questions. It includes a description of what the researcher will do from the beginning of the research to the final analysis of the data. In this study, we suggest that it is appropriate to apply a mixed method research approach. The driving factors in applying mixed method versus single method are due to the following reasons. Firstly, the nature of the research is exploratory and explanatory in nature and is grounded in theory. The objectives are to discover and develop a conceptual framework that describes the phenomena (qualitative method) and to test or verify the conceptual framework that describes the phenomena (quantitative method). As noted by Yauch and Steudel, mixed method research complements each other, which explains the results of the analyses. Qualitative research is interpretive, allowing for the discovery of new ideas and unexpected events. Qualitative research aims to achieve an in-depth understanding of a situation or a certain phenomenon. The focus of the research is to understand and interpret a situation or a certain phenomenon. On the other hand, quantitative research aims to obtain a precise measurement of something such as a participant's behavior, knowledge, or opinion. The focus of the research is to describe and explain the hypothesis about a situation or a certain phenomenon. Therefore, using a mixed research method, we believed that it would bring conclusive findings to the findings of this study. Secondly, the mixed method approach helps to answer questions that cannot be answered by qualitative or quantitative approaches alone, therefore, it provides breadth and depth to the research. the study. Researchers conducting mixed methods research are more likely to select methods and approaches to the underlying research questions to provide the best opportunity to answer important research questions. In this research, a questionnaire survey is conducted using in-depth qualitative interviews as a way to tap into participants' perspectives and insights. During the analysis, the qualitative researcher uses content analysis of written or recorded materials drawn from participants' expressions and observations or document review. The qualitative research study through questionnaires, interviews and supplements with closed-ended surveys systematically provides breadth and depth to the research. Quantitative research examines frequency or any type of research that produces results obtained through statistical procedures. Through this approach, the results are believed to be confirmed by different approaches, thus providing greater confidence in the conclusion. Finally, the research framework of the method is chosenmixed to apply the concept of triangulation. While it is known that terrorists already routinely use the Internet for purposes such as spreading propaganda or conducting internal communications, the threat from this use is hotly debated. Above all, the question of whether a cyber terrorist attack is imminent or whether it is just a purely fictitious scenario is the subject of much discussion. The almost agreed-upon definition of cyber terrorism is the use of computer networks to cause destruction and damage to personal objectives. We will delve into what is usually considered “real” cyberterrorism: attacks that are carried out via the Internet and that target other IT systems, real-world attacks on properties, lives and governments. Therefore, this analysis is based on the literature on cybercrime and cyberterrorism, as well as specialized security reports, case studies and news. Only such a broad approach allows us to include events from the past and also take into account possible future threats. The motivation for acts of cyberterrorismLocation independence: Cyberterrorists do not necessarily have to be physically present at the target location of the attack, but simply must be connected to the Internet from anywhere in the world. Speed: Attackers are unlikely to depend on their connection speed for attacks they launch on the Internet. Instead, they can use third-party bandwidth and speed, especially in situations where a Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) attack is launched. Anonymity: There are countless ways cyber-terrorists can launch their attacks online without being noticed. . This involves the use of proxy servers, virtual private networks (VPNs), or the ability to route traffic to thousands of hacked computers of innocent users. Cost-benefit ratio: Cyberterrorists choose targets by considering the cost benefits according to their own definitions. Priority is given to attacks that require minimal upfront investment but have greater upside or visibility. Fear: Cyberterrorists primarily aim to generate fear. Creating Economic Losses: Cyber-terrorists targeting government organizations or infrastructure intend to cause losses and also a way to mete out their revenge. Gaining fame, monetary income, or information: The cyber-terrorist may be motivated by the urge to be famous or to gain money from an attack. They may also be motivated to access crucial information that does not belong to them. Political reasons: Hackers are becoming politically motivated to carry out their attacks. Government Dependence on the Internet: Cyber-terrorists are aware that governments depend on the Internet for almost all of their services to their citizens and have exploited this as a result. Types of Cyber-Terrorism Capabilities Simple-Unstructured: The ability to conduct basic hacks against individual systems using tools created by someone else. The organization contains little ability to analyze, command, control, or learn objectives. Advanced framework: The ability to conduct more sophisticated attacks against multiple systems or networks and possibly create hacking tools. The organization has elementary capabilities of analysis, command, control and target learning. Complex Coordinated: The capability of a coordinated attack capable of causing mass disruption against integrated and heterogeneous defenses. Ability to create sophisticated hacking tools. High ability of analysis, command and control of objectives and organizational learning ability. Forms of cyberterrorism Illegal access (hacking) This is illegal access to systems and datacomputer scientists. In general, a distinction can be made between illegal access exclusively by technical means and access with human help. An example of purely technical access could be the use of a computer program that exploits identified software flaws to gain access to a system (exploit). The second category refers to access with human help. This can be achieved, for example, in the form of so-called social engineering, i.e. by tricking the user into providing passwords or other protected information or by bribing an existing member of staff. Therefore, successful attacks against protected targets often require technical and social expertise. Data Alteration After a successful hacker attack, the attacker has many options for what to do with the system. An understandable first reaction would be to delete the information or shut down the system. However, this technique would not be successful because administrators would immediately notice the failure and may rebuild the system from backup files or switch to backup systems. The amount of damage that would result from such an attack would therefore not be too high. However, in some areas, for example in some industrial manufacturing plants or in medical environments, they could have disastrous consequences. Defacements Alterations that are visible to a wide audience are often considered better because they can demonstrate technical capabilities and create fear that other systems may fall victim to future attacks. In this case, a web server page is modified, often the most prominent entry page. They are often placed on the page together with clues to the identity of the perpetrator (e.g. the name of a hacker group).Data espionageSince most of today's communication structure is computer-based, data espionage is increasing everywhere. This is the clandestine exploration and obtaining of protected digital information, originally particularly notorious among states seeking to acquire security-relevant information from other states to gain tactical advantages. However, in the meantime, industrial espionage has also become an important factor for many economies. Denial-of-Service (DOS) Attacks Denial-of-Service (DoS) attacks target the unavailability of a system or service and have a long tradition in cybercrime. Botnets with hundreds or even thousands of computers infected with Trojan horses are commanded by single individuals to send massive requests to single targets. These computers are often unable to handle the enormous amount of traffic and are no longer able to send responses either to bot-net computers or to other legitimate requests. Syntactic attacks These crimes involve exploiting technical vulnerabilities to commit fraud (example of Such crimes include viruses, malware, plastic card skimming, and illegal fund transfers. Semantic attacks These crimes involve exploiting social vulnerabilities to obtain personal information as requested of scams, identity theft and auction fraud. Cyberbullying Cyberbullying occurs when someone uses the Internet to harass, humiliate, embarrass or intimidate someone else. The bully hides behind a login identity on a social platform by making fun of someone other to belittle another person. Dissemination of terrorist content The Internet has created the possibility for terrorists to disseminate information without cost and largely without any control over the content. This terrorist content includes: Terrorist websites: terrorist organizations communicate their opinions, ideas and even launch and organize attacks using their websites. They are able to influence the.