Fears of cyberterrorism during the war on Iraq proved unfounded, says Peter Rojas, but increased online security will benefit us all.
A panel of security and technology experts reached the conclusion that the threat posed by cyber-terrorism has been overhyped and the net is unlikely to become a launch pad for terror attacks.
Experts are questioning the emphasis placed on defending against cyberterrorism, comparing it to the overblown fears about a Y2K meltdown.
The U.S. is quietly assembling an Internet-wide monitoring center to detect and respond to attacks on vital information systems and key e-commerce sites.
Richard Clarke, chairman of the U.S. President's Critical Infrastructure Protection Board, warns that al-Qaeda's brand of terrorism has a growing cyber element and that the nation's economy is at risk.
David Farber argues that despite all of the official pronouncements about the threat of cybersecurity, "we've seen little real action, while the sources of cybervulnerability have hardly changed in years."
A new study from the Center for Strategic and International Studies argues that online attacks are merely "weapons of mass annoyance," no more harmful than the routine power failures, airplane delays and dropped phone calls that take place every day.
[ Link to Full Study ]
A new report finds that despite the hype about "cyberterrorists," attacks on government computer systems are declining worldwide.
"This paper examines the concept of cyberterrorism. Fringe activity on the Internet ranges from non-violent 'Use' at one end to 'Cyberterrorism' at the other. Rejecting the idea that cyberterrorism is widespread, the focus here is on terrorist groups' 'use' of the Internet, in particular the content of their Web sites, and their 'misuse' of the medium, as in hacking wars, for example. Terrorist groups' use of the Internet for the purpose of inter-group communication is also surveyed, partly because of its importance for the inter-networked forms of organisation apparently being adopted by these groups, but also due to the part played by the Internet in the events of September 11 and their aftermath."
The author argues that "there is no such thing as cyberterrorism--no instance of anyone ever having been killed by a terrorist (or anyone else) using a computer. Nor is there compelling evidence that al Qaeda or any other terrorist organization has resorted to computers for any sort of serious destructive activity."