Disadvantages Of Cyber Terrorism

Cyber Terrorism

Cyber terrorism is confluence of cyberspace and terrorism to illegally access the information stored in database of Government bodies or corporations to cause harm like explosions, death, injury or to induce fear in the minds of people in general. In another words, Cyber terrorism involves using computer networks and technologies as a means for conducting attacks, and targets critical national infrastructures or governmental assets, has a psychological, social, political or religious motive, causes harm to individuals or groups, or physically damages infrastructures or assets (Ali Al Mazari).

Cyber terrorism can involve attack on the data or on the control systems. Sometimes, the terrorists steal or delete data from the database

Firstly, cyber terrorism is more cost efficient technique than the other methods implemented by terrorists. Terrorists now would only need a device that could connect to the Internet or other internal connection to cause damage contrast to need of buying expensive explosives to cause harm to large number of people. Secondly, cyber terrorism is more pseudonymous than the old terrorist methods. Most of terrorists conceal their names under common names on the Internet or enter a website as a guest user making it difficult for Government agencies like FBI to track down the details of the terrorists. Thirdly, the terrorist can access their target groups from a remote location and there is no need for them to employ thousands of people and send them to different locations to create damage. Fourthly, they can target several critical infrastructures such as electric power grids, public transportation, water supply, banking and financial institutions simultaneously. Though these infrastructures operate on complex computer networks but there are several weaknesses of systems which can be identified by the terrorists group to create