Everyday, more commerce and sensitive information flows over the Internet. People and organizations are becoming dependent on electronic data while paper trails are diminishing. This dependence on electronic information makes for an inviting target for a new breed of terrorists that some are calling "cyberterrorists."
Barry Collin, a senior research fellow at the Institute for Security and Intelligence at Stanford University, is quoted by the "Air Force News" as defining "cyberterrorism" as "hacking with a body count."
In the world according to Tom Clancy, "In the year 2010, computers are the new superpowers. Those who control them, control the world. To enforce the Net Laws, Congress creates the ultimate computer security force agency within the FBI: Net Force."
In case you think that this is far-fetched, then consider this. On January 22 of this year, the President proposed adding $515 million to the fiscal year 2000 budget to protect the nation's computer-dependent critical infrastructure, such as power, banking and emergency services. The federal government has already created special offices within the FBI and the Commerce Department to protect critical systems against cyber attack. The President even coined the phrase "Cyber Corps," which "will encourage federal agencies to train and retrain computer specialists, as well as recruiting gifted young people out of college."
The Threat is Real
In March 1998, several NASA, Navy, and university websites received "denial of service" attacks (also known as "New Tear" or "Boink" attacks). The attacks targeted computers with Microsoft Windows NT and Windows 95 operating systems. They prevented servers from answering network connections and crashed computers, causing a blue screen and a "fatal error" message to appear (a.k.a. "the blue screen of death"). The systems were restored by rebooting the computers and no permanent damage occurred, but some of the targeted organizations have sought help from the FBI. Microsoft provided a patch for fending off this kind of attack.
In February 1998, over a two-week period, the Defense Department had its worst attack to date. The unclassified networks were penetrated (sources said the classified networks had not been breached), and the hackers accessed personnel and payroll information. Deputy Defense Secretary John Hamre called it a "wake-up call." Two teenage hackers allegedly perpetrated the attacks, one of whom is a California sophomore in high school who goes by "Makaveli."
In 1997, a Swedish hacker jammed the 911 emergency telephone system throughout west-central Florida. FBI Director Louis Freeh called the incident "a dress rehearsal for a national disaster."
The Cyberterrorist's Advantage
Cyberterrorism is an attractive way to mount an attack. It starts with the advantage of anonymity. The simple fact is that it's difficult to track a cyberterrorist. There are no checkpoints or physical evidence. The terrorist could even be half way around the world.
It can also be a low-budget form of attack. The only real costs may be some computer equipment and programming time. Unlike a real world attack, the terrorist needn't make or transport a bomb. Customs isn't an issue. Delivery may be as easy as a PC and a telephone line.
In our computer dependent world, the potential targets are endless. Consider the damage that could be done by attacking Wall Street's computers, traffic light control computers, prison computers, banks, the Pentagon or AOL. This is not about childish pranks, this is about a form of warfare and no country is more vulnerable than we are.
The legal systems of the world are ill-prepared for this new type of terrorism. Just consider the unique jurisdictional issues raised by an attack launched by a programmer working in Russia, who installs his attack program on a system in Iran, which automatically launches the war months later by satellite link to a computer in Canada that uses the Internet to destroy a computer in New York.
Cyberterrorism is here to stay. We're vulnerable electronically and it's just too tempting a way to attack the United States. It can also cause much more damage than a truck bomb. You can expect to hear much more about this in the years to come.