Cyber Terrorism - Cyber Crime

CYBER CRIME

Chapter 6

Objectives

1. Discuss general concept of Terrorism

2. Introduce Cyberterrorism as another method of targeting victims

3. Provide an understanding of the differences between Organized Crime and Cyber Gangs

Details

I. Terrorism: Definition

· Act of violence

· Innocent victims

· Methodical operations

· Absence of moral restraints

· Performed for an audience

· Intended to instill fear

Motivations:

· Individual terrorism: act independently, discontented with society

· Ted Kaczynski: Unabomber

· Political-social terrorism: groups engage to overthrow established order

· Early American Colonists

· Nationalist terrorism: groups share collective perception of oppression or persecution

· Palestine Liberation Front, Irish Republican Army

· Environmental terrorism: groups base their ideology on the conservation of natural resources or animal rights

· Earth Liberation Front (ELF), Stop Huntington Animal Cruelty (SHAC)

· State sponsored terrorism: two groups of government offenders, one that commits acts of terror against its own citizens and the other commits acts of terror against other governments

· Nazi government targeted Jewish and other groups in Germany

· Cuban, Syrian and Iranian governments target other governments such as Israel and any other governments that support Israel, including US and European governments

· Religious terrorism: most prevalent and dangerous, motivated by religion

· God’s Army (Christian), Jewish Defense League (Judiac), al Qaeda (Islamic)

II. Cyberterrorism: Definition

· Premeditated, methodological and ideological motivated

· Dissemination of information, facilitation of communication or attack against digital information, information systems and/or computer programs

· Requires advanced planning

· Intended to result in social, financial, physical or psychological harm to civilians

· Terrorist groups have used the Internet to disseminate propaganda, recruit, train, research and attack targets

· Types of Cyberterrorist Threats

· Physical attacks: involve conventional weapons directed at a computer facility for transmission lines

· Electronic attacks: electromagnetic energy is employed as a weapon by inserting malicious code into an enemy microwave radio transmission

· Computer network attacks: involve malware, computer or network intrusion, or other cyber attacks on critical computer systems

· Digital threats to physical infrastructure: compromise systems that operate critical physical infrastructures such as power grids, water and sewer systems, hospitals, communications, financial institutions

· Critical data threat: compromise critical computer system to alter, manipulate, or destroy critical data with potential of death, destruction, and/or economic turmoil.

· Databases such as Social Security, Centers for Disease Control (CDC), Department of Defense (DOD)

· Estonia Cyberattacks: (2007) Estonia’s infrastructure was attacked by unknown individuals or groups focusing on the nation’s critical databases.

· Numerous DDoS attacks crippled the banks and newspapers, interrupted government communications

· Social unrest and rioting resulted in 150 injuries

· Iran Stuxnet Cyberattacks: (2010) Unknown entities (US and Israel) planted a self-replicating malware (worm) into Iran’s nuclear power plant in Bushehr and its uranium enrichment facility in Natanz

· Identity Theft and 911 Attacks

· Each of the suicide bombers involved in the 911 attacks had established fraudulent identities

· Driver’s licenses, stolen credit cards, fictitious or temporary addresses, social security numbers and fraudulent travel documents

· FBI Statement: Former FBI Director, Robert Mueller: technology is moving so rapidly that, from a security perspective, it is difficult to keep up…in the future, we anticipate that the cyber threat will pose the number one threat to our country…. once isolated hackers have joined forces to form criminal syndicates

III. Organized Crime and Cyber Gangs

· Organized crime is recognizable, monopolistic, self- perpetuating, hierarchical organization willing to use violence and the corruption of public officials to engage in both traditional vice ( gambling, drugs, prostitution) and complex criminal enterprises which allows investment in legitimate businesses

· Cyber gangs are groups of individuals brought together through the medium of the Internet which conspire and/or commit non-violent criminal acts facilitated by the exploitation of networked or interconnected systems

· Shadowcrew, Carderplanet, Darkprofits