The term “cyber terrorism” was coined by Barry Collin in the 1980s. Today, “cyber terrorism” is more dangerous than traditional terrorism. Cyber terrorism can be defined as planned and targeted actions with political and non-personal motives against computers, facilities, and stored programs through the global internet network, with the goal of destroying or causing serious damage to them.

As explosive materials and firearms are the main tools of classic terrorism, the most probable cyber weapon of terrorists is also the computer. There are many methods that terrorists can use the computer as a terrorist tool. The fundamental methods of cyber terrorism include hacking and computer viruses, electronic espionage, identity theft, and destruction or manipulation of information.

As the internet continues to expand and encompass various aspects of human activities, cyber terrorists gain more power and pose a threat to the security, health, stability, and independence of individuals, groups, and parties through the use of anonymity and identity concealment on the internet. These threats often target political parties, intellectuals, writers, and journalists, causing social harm and even endangering lives. In a broader sense, it can be said that cyber terrorism challenges the national security of countries.

Every now and then we hear news about cyber attacks; the latest example of these attacks is a cyber attack attributed to the North Korean government against the website of “Sony Pictures” company. This virtual attack caused a severe war of words between Washington and Pyongyang for weeks. Republican Senator John McCain, in his speech at an Arizona radio station, declared about the cyber attacks on Sony: “This is the biggest blow to freedom of speech that I have ever seen in my lifetime. We are accountable for these issues. The United States has great capabilities in cyber activities and we must start working on it right now.”

But how severe is the impact of cyber attacks that puts governments against each other? Undoubtedly, without examining the extent of the impact of information exchange in the virtual space on developments in the real world, we cannot give a suitable answer to this question.

The occurrence of the “Arab Spring” phenomenon in the Arab countries of North Africa, with all its bitter and sweet consequences, highlighted one thing for everyone; the hidden power in the virtual space. The widespread presence of the masses was able to overthrow the governments of Ben Ali and Mubarak in a matter of weeks, as young people used the facilities of the virtual space and social networks to organize massive protests. Gatherings of thousands of people in the streets of Tunisia and Cairo were not organized by well-known and influential parties such as the Muslim Brotherhood or Ennahda, nor with the help of foreign countries, but rather the virtual space demonstrated its power in the real world.

Dictator governments have realized, by looking at the fate of their comrades in North Africa, that suppression cannot be achieved solely through an equipped army and police force. Alongside guns and tanks, a force equipped to suppress this virtual force, which happens to have real power, is needed. A new organization called the “Cyber Army” was born to control information exchange, monitor activity in the virtual space, and identify internet activists. The relatively effective role of this army in controlling the virtual space has made authoritarian governments and some hostile groups eager to take advantage of it. A huge number of computer experts have been employed by these armies and a new front called the “Cyber Front” has put opposing forces against each other.

On the other hand, with the advancement and increasing complexity in various industries, manual control of facilities quickly gave way to industrial automatic control systems. These systems, with their increased speed and precision in controlling facilities, provided the possibility of optimal use of time, location, and equipment in all industries. However, the use of computers and communication equipment for communication between facilities and control system components has created the possibility of new hazards. Hazards that threaten the security of information for all industrial processes under control, as well as the safety of facilities. So far, cyber attacks have affected various industries and caused significant damage. With the expansion of automation networks, today all vital infrastructures, including power grids, military systems, nuclear power plants, industrial units, and modern urban and national equipment, use network-based control systems for monitoring, protection, and control of their processes. These systems enable safe, effective, and efficient management, coordination, and operation of these units. In other words, control and automation systems can be

Successful cyber attacks and hacking of sensitive systems are no less dangerous than having a nuclear bomb. In 2009 and 2010, Iran claimed that the cyber worm “Stuxnet” targeted the country’s uranium enrichment facilities. After this cyber worm was attributed to the United States and Israel, other software such as “Script Stars, Duqu, and Flame” also attacked Iran’s nuclear program. Perhaps if Iran’s nuclear facilities had reached their end and the cyber attackers had intended to destroy this complex, a major disaster would have occurred.

According to some security experts, if we consider cyber terrorists as killers or thugs in the real world, hackers and internet lock-pickers are like thieves and robbers who use illegal access and information theft as their only tools and methods.

Given the sensitivity of this issue, some countries have designed special departments and institutions to combat this emerging phenomenon, as cyber terrorism is considered a threat to the security of people, elites, and politicians. It seems that in the not too distant future, we will witness war in the virtual world and human casualties in the non-physical world, casualties that will undoubtedly be less than those of classical wars.

Sources:

A defector says that North Korea is heavily involved in cyber warfare.

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4- Taking power through technology in the Arab Spring, Ramesh Srinivasan