Cyber Terrorism

Cyber Terrorism is defined as the exploitation of the digital realm to harm the civilian population and compromise the unity and independence of the targeted nation. The term digital realm, or cyber space, denotes an electronic medium or a linked network of computers.

Types of Cyber Terrorism

1. Unauthorized Access: Disguising their identity, the terrorists break into governmental digital systems and databases of the targeted countries. The main goal is to take ownership and control of critical and sensitive national information.
2. System Destruction: The terrorists aim to demolish the entire governmental database residing online, including all its backups. The process usually involves the introduction of malicious software like viruses and malware that have the capacity to corrupt the system entirely.
3. Temporary Disruptions: The terrorists may induce temporary network disruptions within the governmental systems of the targeted nation. Such disruptions serve to distract high-ranking officials, enabling the terrorists to engage in additional terrorist activities with less supervision.
4. DDOS Attacks: Distributed Denial of Service (DDOS) attacks form another approach, where viruses are used to infect the systems initially. Post infection, the terrorists take control of the systems which can then be accessed from any location. This access allows the terrorists to manipulate data and retrieve sensitive information.