Cyber Attack the Threat to America in the Age of Cyber Warfare and Internet Terrorism - Jason Clint

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    On a hot day in mid-summer, at a time when electrical power demand is typically at its

    peak, abruptly and without warning, the lights go out. A transformer, an integral part of

    distributing electricity, has failed, an event that happens frequently as a result of an aging

    infrastructure. Other transformers are configured to take up the load until they too

    mysteriously fail. One by one, the increased demand on still operating portions of thesystem fail. The transformers, costly to replace and with a lead time of 18 – 36 months to

    acquire and install, have been damaged beyond repair. There is no power for that time.

    Radio, television and Internet communication – all dependent on electricity – are

    unavailable. Cell phones operate for up to a few days before they too, without the power

    to charge their hungry batteries, fade to silence.

     

    There is no power to operate gasoline pumps, hence there is soon no fuel. Driving would

    be inadvisable anyway with no power to operate traffic signals. Those who do attempt todrive will soon encounter gridlock. Perishable foods, without electricity to cool them, soon

    perish. Purchasing additional foods will be impossible as point of sales systems in stores

    become inoperable. Without power banks will be forced to close. ATMs will not work.

    Security systems will not work, and crime will be nearly impossible to control. As days

    follow into weeks and months the strain on emergency services will reach the breaking

    point.

     

    An event in which nine – yes, nine – interconnection substations are destroyed across theUnited States would cause a complete disruption of electrical services in the contiguous 48

    states, leading to the scenario described, and much worse. The odds of nine substations

    going down at once are high, unless it is considered how vulnerable they are to attack. A

    physical attack is more difficult in times of heightened awareness of terrorist activity. But

    an attack via the Internet, which connects them all and is the path through which many of

    the components of the power grid are operated is possible, to many even probable. Similar

    catastrophic attacks on the nation’s dams and waterways, its financial industry,

    transportation and shipping industries, and virtually the entire infrastructure, which areinterconnected via the Internet, are occurring daily.

     

    When a cyber attack happens, are you and your family safe?

     

    The United States Federal Bureau of Investigation defines cyberterrorism as, “any

    premeditated, politically motivated attack against information, computer systems,computer programs, and data of which results in violence against noncombatant targets by

    sub-national groups or clandestine agents.” In this brief presentation the reality of existing

    cyber terrorist activity is revealed and discussed, and options for preventing a catastrophic

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    attack via cyberspace on the nation’s critical infrastructure are offered for consideration by

    the reader.

     

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    Preface

     

    In 2012 the United Nations International Telecommunication Union asked Kaspersky Lab

    to investigate a virus that had invaded computers of the Iranian Oil Ministry. Kaspersky

    estimated that the virus had been operating since around the 2010, affecting primarily

    governmental institutions and educational facilities in Iran, Israel, Saudi Arabia, and otherMiddle Eastern countries. The attackers primarily sought PDF files, text files, and Auto

    CAD drawings, evidently for intelligence purposes. In June 2012, an article was published

    in the Washington Post which claimed that the virus – named Flame by Kaspersky – was

    ointly developed by the NSA, the CIA, and Israeli military and intelligence services

    beginning around 2007.

     

    In February 2014 Kaspersky announced the discovery of another virus – dubbed “the

    Mask” – that had targeted 31 nations around the world. Organizations described as

    primary targets included government institutions and diplomatic offices, gas and oil

    companies, and research organizations. The virus had been developed by Spanish-

    speaking attackers and was described by Kaspersky as a “nation-state sponsored

    campaign.” Kaspersky further described the virus as having been active for more than five

    years prior to its discovery. According to Kaspersky the virus was “one of the most

    advanced global cyber espionage operations to date due to the complexity of the toolset

    used by the attackers.”

     

    Takeaways

     

    The existence of malware designed for the purposes of espionage is evident.

     

    Such malware is distributed globally and is monitored remotely from unknownlocations.

     

    The source of such malware can only be surmised based on the nature of the

    institutions or nations being targeted.

     

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    Chapter 1 – Cyberterrorism or Hacking?

     

    A cyber attack against critical infrastructure that causes a serious disruption of essential

    services could be considered an act of cyberterrorism. A hacking attack that caused the

    disruption of nonessential services, in other words generating a nuisance, is generally not

    considered an act of cyberterrorism. And yet it could be. It is well known that the terroristgroup known as ISIL obtains significant funding through kidnapping and extortion. Theft

    of identity data from the hacking of websites could easily lead to the theft of funds that

    could then be used to support terrorist activities. To argue whether or not this is actually

    occurring is pointless, rather it should be recognized that vulnerability exists which should

    be secured. Every security weakness discovered and exploited by a hacker, whether an

    amateur or an organized professional entity, is a weakness that could be exploited by cyber

    terrorists.

     

    A common argument against the reality of cyberterrorism is that no demonstrable cyber

    attack against infrastructure has as yet occurred. This argument is basically saying if they

    could do it they would have and since they haven’t they can’t. The irrationality of this

    argument is self-evident. Prior to 9/11, nobody had hijacked four jet airliners and directed

    them against targets. After the 9/11 attacks enhanced security systems were put in place to

    prevent them from happening again. Had those systems been in place prior to the attacks it

    could be argued that the attacks would never have happened. In the case of cyber security

    it may be wise to recognize the potential risks and eliminate them before an attack occurs. 

    Cyberterrorism is not an abstract theory or a means of generating voter hysteria for

    political purposes. It is a real, growing and omnipresent threat, which in many cases has

    already been identified and thwarted. In other areas it has been discovered only after

    generating considerable economic and physical damages. Waiting until it generates human

    casualties before acknowledging its existence is, in a word, ridiculous.

     

    Takeaways

     

    Cyber attacks have caused billions of dollars in damage to equipment businesses

    and individuals.

     

    The argument that cyberterrorism cannot happen because it has not yet happened is

    senseless.

     

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    The same security weaknesses which are daily exploited by hackers are available to

    be exploited by cyber terrorists.

     

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    Chapter 2 – How Cyberterrorism Could Affect the Power

    Grid?

     

    In 2011 the United States Department of Energy released a report entitled Roadmap to

    Achieve Energy Delivery Systems Cyber security. The report was an update to a document

    released in 2006. The report notes, “Intelligence reports indicate that cyber adversaries are

    more persistent and better financed, and their ability to develop and launch new attack

    tools and techniques could outpace the sector’s ability to develop and deploy new

    countermeasures.” The report further takes note of what it describes as “increasing

    advanced cyber attack capabilities” and “escalating criminal enterprise, terrorist, and

    nation state threats.” Thus a cabinet level US governmental organization recognizes the

    potential threat of cyberterrorism to the electrical power grid.

     

    Because of its combination of aging equipment merged with evolving technologies the

    electrical power grid is particularly vulnerable, and a major attack on the grid could cause

    damage estimated by Lloyd’s of London of nearly $1 trillion economically. A sustained

    loss of power over a widespread area – such as the American Northeast – would rapidly

    degenerate into major social upheaval. The loss of power for even a few days in large

    urban areas such as New York would undoubtedly lead to looting, a disruption of the

    water supply, failure of traffic control systems, a collapse of the local healthcare system,

    and casualties.

     

    While it is encouraging that the US Department of Energy recognizes the need to prepare

    a defense against such an eventuality, it is discouraging that political leadership has thus

    far failed to provide funding for such a defense. The US power grid is a consortium, as it

    were, of individual companies that must of a necessity work together in order to secure the

    grid. Absent government leadership and in many cases driven by profits, these companies

    are responding to the threat of cyberterrorism piecemeal.

     

    Takeaways

     

    The United States Department of Energy recognizes cyberterrorism as a serious

    threat.

     

    A successful cyberattack against the power grid would be catastrophic.

     

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    The economic impact of a successful act of cyberterrorism against the electrical

    power grid has been estimated to be as high as $1 trillion by no less an entity than

    Lloyd’s of London.

     

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    Chapter 3 – Is It Cyberterrorism or Cyber Crime?

     

    Even a cursory review of the information available on the subject of cyberterrorism

    exposes a great deal of debate over semantics. There is no clear line established between

    what is considered “crime” and what is defined as “terrorism.” One pundit suggests

    cyberterrorism is limited to the use of information technology by known terrorist groupsand agents. The catastrophic results of an attack on the power grid have been presented yet

    by the above definition such an attack perpetrated by an individual with no association

    with terrorist activities would not be considered cyberterrorism, regardless of the damage

    and casualties which would ensue. Such an argument is frequently presented as a means of

    opposing US government monitoring of the Internet.

     

    The debate over what is cybercrime and what is cyberterrorism is senseless. Any attack

    which would cause so much damage and potentially disrupt the lives of so many is

    terroristic in nature. Over the short span of time in which it has been in existence the

    Internet has evolved into an essential part of American infrastructure, thoroughly entwined

    within nearly all other aspects of American life. As such it is essential that it be monitored

    and protected against misuse, as well as all Americans be protected from it being used to

    harm them.

     

    Terrorists are by definition criminals. If cyber criminals steal large databases of classifiedinformation and sell that information to terrorist organizations, they too are terrorists. If

    they sell the information to organized crime they are not.

     

    A large reason to identify much of the activity occurring on the Internet as crime is to

    avoid the use of the word cyberterrorism. This verbal sleight of hand then permits the

    argument that the intervention of the US federal government is simply an act of expansion

    of power, threatening the liberties of a free people. Using semantics to cloud the issue for

    political purposes in the face of the existing threat of cyberterrorism is pedanticfoolishness. The need to respond to the existing threats, which are real and well

    documented, is clearly the responsibility of the federal government. It can be

    accomplished without compromising personal privacy and individual liberty, and a

    consensus of thinking needs to be reached in order to “provide for the common defense.”

     

    Takeaways

     

    That the Internet can be used as a weapon is recognized throughout the US

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    government.

     

    Not all cybercrime is cyberterrorism but all cyberterrorism is cybercrime.

     

    Debate over semantics is self-defeating and detracts from finding a solution to theproblem of cyberterrorism.

     

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    Chapter 4 – How Are Terrorist Groups Using the Internet?

     

    In October 2015, Caitlin Durkovich, assistant secretary for infrastructure protection,

    Department of Homeland Security, informed executives from American energy firms that

    “ISIL is beginning to perpetrate cyberattacks.” Indeed, it is not only ISIL which has been

    conducting attacks, with malware on industrial control systems for both pumps andengines having previously been traced to the Russian government. As yet ISIL attacks

    have been unsuccessful largely due to their lacking the most sophisticated hacking tools

    but the concern in government is that they will be able to buy the necessary technology on

    the black market.

     

    The US government has also obtained information that members of Al Qaeda, from

    remote locations outside of the United States, have previously conducted reconnaissance

    on critical infrastructure within the United States, using Internet searches as simple as

    Google maps. Students within the United States with links to terrorist activities have been

    arrested, in some cases while studying at major American universities in subjects such as

    engineering and cybersecurity. Numerous computers and laptops confiscated from former

    Al Qaeda sites have been found with software and programming information for both

    power and water company sites.

     

    Although it is belived that neither ISIL nor Al Qaeda possess the technical capabilities ofthe NSA or Israeli intelligence at this time, it is clear that they are training to achieve that

    parity. The fact that they are doing so indicates a strong interest in using the Internet to

    continue, and expand, their terrorist activities.

     

    Both ISIL and Al Qaeda, as well as the Taliban and the East Turkestan Independence

    Movement, (an Islamic terrorist organization focused in China) use the Internet for the

    purpose of recruiting and for coordinating operations. The use of the Internet for direct

    operational control is limited for obvious reasons, but there are experts who believe thatcyberattacks can be and have been used to co-ordinate with simultaneously conducted

    physical operations.

     

    Takeaways

     

    ISIL has already begun limited cyberattacks on American infrastructure.

     

    Captured equipment and other materials from Al Qaeda demonstrate a strong

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    interest in the use of cyberspace.

     

    In the aftermath of the 9/11 attacks it was learned that the hijackers trained

    extensively in the United States prior to launching the attacks, similarly there is

    evidence of Al Qaeda sympathizers training in cybersecurity in the United States.

     

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    Chapter 5 – Is America Prepared for Cyberterrorism?

     

    In March 2013 the Pentagon’s Defense Science Board issued a statement in the wake of a

    series of hacking attacks against US government websites. Released after an 18 month

    study the statement included “…this Task Force concluded that the cyber threat is serious

    and that the United States cannot be confident that our critical information technologysystems will work under attack from a sophisticated and well-resourced opponent utilizing

    cyber capabilities…”

     

    A critical factor in the war against cyberterrorism is that the various enemies of the United

    States, working within the anonymity offered by the Internet, are working together,

    motivated by the mutual goal of causing harm to the United States. In early 2013 a group

    which called itself the Tunisian Cyber Army, supported by operatives from Al Qaeda and

    with the aid of Chinese cyber criminals, hacked websites of the United States Department

    of State and the Army National Guard. In announcing their successful extraction of files

    from both the State Department and the Army National Guard the group stated that their

    next targets would be additional US government websites as well as utility companies.

     

    In July 2014, John Carlin, then assistant attorney general for national security for the

    United States Department of Justice, stated that terrorists as well as unnamed nation-states

    “…have the capability now to cause significant damage,” through the use ofcyberterrorism. Nearly a year later the Partnership for Public Service and US government

    think tank Booz Allen Hamilton released a report which bemoaned a “…nationwide

    shortage of highly qualified cybersecurity specialists, with the federal government falling

    behind… Our nation is at risk as the number and sophistication of cyberattacks continue to

    grow.”

     

    Takeaways

     

    Multiple enemies of the United States are working together to conduct cyber

    warfare against the United States.

     

    These enemies continue to achieve ever more critical success in entering allegedly

    secure government websites.

     

    The United States counter-cyberterrorism capability remains inadequate despite the

    growing threat.

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    Chapter 6 – Have There Been Successful Cyberattacks?

     

    In June 2010 a cyber worm that became known as Stuxnet attacked the Iranian nuclear

    facility in Natanz and successfully destroyed Iran’s nuclear centrifuges, setting back the

    Iranian nuclear program by more than two years. Although no one ever-claimed

    responsibility it was and is widely believed that Stuxnet was a combined effort of theUnited States and Israel.

     

    In an attack discovered in 2004, believed by the FBI to have originated from China with

    government support, computer networks at NASA, Lockheed Martin, and the Sandia

    National Laboratories, as well as Redstone Arsenal were found to have been relieved of

    classified data and military intelligence in an operation that came to be known as Titan

    Rain.

     

    Perhaps most unnerving of all, as far back as 1982 the CIA successfully disrupted the

    operation of a gas pipeline in Siberia. Through the use of what they’d labeled a “logic

    bomb” the CIA caused an explosion within the pipeline in an isolated area, where it was

    difficult to control, with the resulting fire visible from space. Although it has since been

    claimed that this story may be apocryphal, another logic bomb was used in a March 2013

    attack in South Korea, destroying the master hard drives and boot records of three banks

    and two media companies. 

    Many of the attacks that have been discovered led to the realization that the malware had

    been infecting the systems involved for years. This leads to an obvious inference. The

    possibility is strong that there are many systems currently infected with as yet

    undiscovered malware, worms, viruses and Trojans. Some attacks are designed with

    “suicide” software that triggers its own destruction if it detects security software searching

    for it. Many other leave backdoor entries when they are detected and removed, allowing

    for future re-entries by the same or other attackers. 

    The fact that many successful cyberattacks have occurred and went for years undiscovered

    is a clear indication that many more are underway at any moment, possibly within aging

    systems which lack the ability to run software powerful enough to detect their presence.

     

    Takeaways

     

    Successful cyberattacks may date back as far as 1982.

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    Although never officially admitting responsibility, it is evident that the United

    States and Israel, as well as Iran have in the past engaged in cyberattacks.

     

    Many successful cyberattacks have gone undetected for years, and many backdoors have been left within supposedly classified systems by previous attacks.

     

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    Chapter 7 –What is the Threat from Cyberterrorism to

    Individuals?

     

    As in any form of terrorism, the threat level experienced by any individual is based on

    their level of exposure, their physical location, and their daily activities. A person who

    has no online presence, no email address, no cellular phone, and has never so much as

    held a computer mouse in hand is nonetheless susceptible to the threat of cyberterrorism.

    Acts of cyberterrorism have the potential to disrupt banking services, including the

    processing of checks and ATM transactions. Cyberterrorism could disrupt the distribution

    of electrical power, the availability of fresh water, the processing of sewage and waste, the

    availability of gasoline, the availability of fresh food, the ability to move about freely and

    safely.

     

    As has been amply demonstrated, a terrorist attack can occur at any place, at any time,

    without warning, whether it is connected to overseas organized terrorist groups or is

    domestic in nature. In the case of cyberterrorism no individual can ensure his or her own

    complete safety. The interconnectedness of society and of the infrastructure which

    supports it mandates that central authority ensures a society’s protection. In the aftermath

    of the 9/11 attacks a new government organization, the Department of Homeland Security,

    was created for just this purpose. Whether or not this department has been successful in its

    mission is viewed differently based on an individual’s perspective, what is clear is that its

    mission as pertains to cybersecurity will only increase as terrorist organizations improvetheir technological capabilities.

     

    Improvements in cybersecurity need not necessarily impinge on personal freedom and

    privacy. In most urban areas today individuals are scrutinized by security cameras

    constantly as they go about their daily activities. These cameras exist as protections

    against both crime and terrorist activities. Most people are blithely unaware of their

    existence. Similar protections are necessary when considering the threat to the nation’s

    most critical infrastructure.

     

    Takeaways

     

    Cyberterrorism threatens far more than individual activity on the Internet.

     

    The danger to the nation’s infrastructure threatens all individuals equally.

     

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    The role of the federal government in preventing acts of cyberterrorism will only

    expand as the potential for such activity expands.

     

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    Chapter 8 – Can Cyberterrorism be Prevented?

     

    There is little doubt that the next major war will include cyberspace among its battlefields,

    and that all developed nations are preparing for that probability. The United States

    Department of Defense lists three primary cyber missions; Defense of DoD networks and

    systems, defense against “cyberattacks of significant consequence”, and providing cybersupport to operational and contingency plans. The US Army, Navy and Air Force each

    maintain operational cyber commands. The Department of Homeland Security and the

    FBI maintain cyber security divisions. The Obama administration has developed a large

    number of initiatives to establish improvements in cybersecurity and created partnerships

    with private industry to implement them. The Department of Commerce has launched

    initiatives to strengthen security of both hardware and software used internally by

    computers and within the Internet. There has also been a marked increase in activity to

    strengthen partnerships with allies, including Brazil, India, Japan and the United

    Kingdom. Improvements to strengthen NATO’s cyber defenses have been undertaken.

     

    Many of these actions are directed at controlling, detecting and punishing cyber crime, and

    many more are aimed at defensive and offensive military operations against potential

    hostile nations. The question is, how effective will they be in preventing a deliberate act of

    cyberterrorism, whether those attacks be initiated by known overseas terrorist groups,

    connected domestic cells, or unknown lone wolf terrorists? The answer is unknown.

     

    By its very nature, all terrorist attack is surprise attack. San Bernardino was a surprise

    attack. The Boston Marathon bombing was a surprise attack, as of course was 9/11. In

    each case, analysis of data discovered after the attack was linked to activity and data prior

    to the attack which may, with hindsight, be said to have allowed authorities to predict the

    attack prior to its occurrence. Many terrorist attacks have been thwarted by diligence, but

    sadly many have taken place, with loss of life and destruction of property. It would seem

    that the same metric would apply to cyberterrorism.

     

    Some cyberterrorist attacks would then seem to be inevitable. Even if only one in ten

    planned attacks actually takes place, a success rate of 90% for cyber defense, the one

    which does take place could occur anywhere, at any time, and do damage impossible to

    predict in advance. If then, the inevitably of attacks occurring is accepted, a new means of

    defense need be developed and implemented. This means of defense would rely on

    resiliency of systems and infrastructure, allowing for quick reaction to the attack, limiting

    damages, providing the means for identifying and locating those responsible, and

    minimizing the time required to recover from the damage inflicted.

     

    It is part of the history of mankind that each “super weapon” developed for the inflicting

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    of harm on one’s enemies has been superseded by a defensive mechanism deployed

    against it, until the 20th century. The use of nuclear weapons has been prevented only by

    the policy of Mutual Assured Destruction (MAD) that dominated military and diplomatic

    thinking throughout the Cold War. It may be necessary for civilized nations to develop a

    similar policy over cyber warfare, as each strives to achieve superiority in the field. Such a

    policy is unlikely with organized terrorist groups, whose agenda goes beyond national

    policy. It may well be that the only way to prevent such groups from employingcyberterrorism is by developing the offensive cyberwarfare capability to destroy theirs.

     

    Takeaways

     

    The inevitability of attacks on the Internet needs to be accepted and appropriate

    methods of rapid recovery developed and implemented.

     

    Numerous attacks are occurring on the power grid today, indicating that the ability

    to access the system is already in the hands of terrorists and hackers alike.

     

    Evidence exists that numerous entities hostile to the United States are working

    together to generate attacks on US based infrastructure and data retrieval systems.

     

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    Chapter 9 –Will the Threat of Cyberterrorism Ever Pass?

     

    If global terrorism is ever eliminated the threat presented by cyberterrorists will be

    eliminated along with it, although such an eventuality is extremely unlikely. There are

    hundreds of terrorist organizations operating in nations around the world associated with

    Al Qaeda alone. Where once many of these organizations activities were limited to thenation or nations in which they are located, the universal nature of the Internet allows

    them to ignore borders and operate anywhere. The complete elimination of these groups is

    an overly optimistic goal, and one that is unlikely to be achieved.

     

    Even if it were to be achieved, there are scores of other terrorist groups around the world,

    many of them hostile to the United States. These groups, rather than supporting Islamic

    ihad, are focused on tribal disputes, ethnic cleansing, border changing, and ancient

    quarrels.

     

    There are also domestic organizations whose hatred of the federal government and its

    activities have led to terror attacks in the past, as in Timothy McVeigh’s bombing of the

    federal building in Oklahoma City. And there are the lone wolf attackers who may decide

    to use their programming skills to render attacks, rather than electing to blow themselves

    up or attack with guns.

     

    There are also nations that actively support international terrorist activities as a means of

    continuing their own anti-American policies in a less than overt manner. These nations

    include North Korea, Iran, Russia and China, among others. Throughout 2014-15

    numerous data mining attacks on US systems were identified by both the FBI and CIA as

    originating in China. Although the Chinese government has frequently denied official

    involvement, the FBI has identified several attacks as having originated on Chinese

    government servers.

     

    To say the elimination of international terrorism is unlikely is thus an understatement to an

    order of magnitude. Terrorist groups are a fact of life, and even if they are successfully

    driven underground, that fact will force them to focus on generating attacks using covert

    means, an ideal use of the Internet in their eyes. Visible success against Al Qaeda will

    force them to resort to other means of attacking their enemies – us – in a manner by which

    they can plausibly claim responsibility after the fact.

     

    Nor is it likely the Americans’ will become less reliant on the Internet. Trends are in the

    opposite direction. Automobiles, appliances, home security systems, clocks, how we

    watch television, how we watch movies, how we play games, purchase tickets, order

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    pizza, fill prescriptions, schedule hair appointments, acquire news, and virtually every

    waking minute how we monitor our smart phones and tablets are all dependent on the

    Internet. The current generation just graduating from college and entering the work force

    in 2016 have lived their entire lives relying on the Internet. Now virtually the whole of the

    American infrastructure is connected as well.

     

    Terrorism is here to stay. So is the Internet. The only solution is to enhance security to the

    point where the threat is reduced to acceptable levels, and the damage minimized in the

    event that an attack does penetrate the security levels.

     

    Opposition to increased government “intrusion” into the Internet has become part of the

    political dialogue that has increasingly polarized society along partisan lines. Like so

    much of America’s infrastructure, which is crumbling in many areas, the decision to spend

    the money necessary to restore and improve it is a political football, kicked back and forthby politicians who cite philosophy rather than address the reality of the times. Many deny

    the threat of cyberterrorism exists, not because of the data but because the constituents

    who elect them to office remain uninformed of the dangers being faced. It is almost surreal

    that the information superhighway is faced with the threat of attack largely because its

    users lack the information they need to motivate their leaders to address the threat.

     

    Takeaways

     

    The threat of cyberterrorism is currently present, and will increase as conventional

    efforts to control terrorism succeed.

     

    Cyberspace will be a battlefield in any conventional warfare as well as in the

    ongoing global war against terror. 

    The only way to reduce the risk of cyberterrorism is improved security and constant

    vigilance by the government and the private sector working together.

  • 8/19/2019 Cyber Attack the Threat to America in the Age of Cyber Warfare and Internet Terrorism - Jason Clint

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