Cyber Terrorism

The term cyber terror appeared for the first time in the mid-eighties of the previous century. Since then the notion has been misused a number of times by journalists and politicians. It does not help that a clear definition is missing as is debated in :

"The use, making preparations for, or threat of action designed to cause a social order change, to create a climate of fear or intimidation amongst (part of) the general public, or to influence political decision-making by the government or an international governmental organisation; made for the purposes of advancing a political, religious, racial or ideological cause; by affecting the integrity, confidentiality, and/or availability of information, information systems and networks, or by unauthorised actions affecting information and communication technology-based control of real-world physical processes; and it involves or causes:

• violence to, suffering of, serious injuries to, or the death of (a) persons(s),
• serious damage to a property,
• a serious risk to the health and safety of the public,
• a serious economic loss,
• a serious breach of ecological safety,
• a serious breach of the social and political stability and cohesion of a nation.”
  

Definitions

National Definitions

Austria

Cyber terrorism is defined as a politically motivated crime of state and / or non-state actors against computers, networks and the information stored therein. Its aim is to provoke a severe or long-term disruption of public life or to cause serious damage to economic activity with the intention of severely intimidating the population, of forcing public authorities or an international organisation to carry out, tolerate or omit an act or of profoundly unsettling or destroying the political, constitutional, economic or social foundations of a state or an international organisation.

These acts constitute organised cyber sabotage (attacks) caused by political-fundamentalist groups or individual perpetrators; they are directed against states, organisations or enterprises.

Colombia

Ciberterrorismo: La convergencia del terrorismo y ciberespacio con el fin de atacar ilegalmente ordenadores, redes e información almacenada en ellos, incluye violencia contra personas o propiedades o, al menos, genera el miedo.

Cyber Terrorism is the convergence of terrorism and cyber attack to computers, networks and information stored in them, including violence against persons or properties, or at least generates fear (derived from Dorothy Denning).

Montenegro

Sajber terorizam – predstavlja kriminalni akt u sajber prostoru koji ima za cilj da se zaplaši vlada iili njeni građani, a sve u cilju ostvarivanja političkih ciljeva.

Cyber terrorism is a criminal act in cyberspace that aims to intimidate governments or their citizens, with the aim to achieve political goals.

Philippines

The exploitation of digital infrastructures for terrorist ends, it comprises of politically-motivated hacking operations designed to cause grave harm such as loss of life or severe economic damage.

An example would be an intrusion into an air traffic control system and causing two planes to collide.

Poland

Cyberterrorism is an offence of a terrorist nature committed in cyberspace.

Portugal

Ciberterrorismo, onde se procura um impacto social e político significativo pela destruição física. Neste contexto, as infraestruturas críticas constituem os alvos de ataque mais prováveis.

South Africa

Cyber Terrorism means use of internet-based attacks in terrorist activities by individuals or groups, including the act of deliberate large scale disruptions of computer networks, especially computers attached to the internet, by the means of tools such as computer viruses.

United States

FBI (2007)

A criminal act perpetrated by the use of computers and telecommunications capabilities, resulting in violence, destruction and/or disruption of services, where the intended purpose is to create fear by causing confusion and uncertainty within a given population, with the goal of influencing a government or population to conform to a particular political, social or ideological agenda.

.

Other International Definitions

East-West Institute (Russia-US)

Cyber Terrorism is the use of cyberspace for terrorist purposes as defined by national or international law.

Кибертерроризм: использование киберпространства, террористических целях, которые определяются в качестве таковых национальным или международным законодательством.

See also

• Terrorism