MILNET: Cyber Terrorism

No, it's not cyberpunk, and its not a novel by William Gibson. It's the real world, and it's here now. Already, the world's cities have experienced little baby steps in the new type of terrorism, cyber-terrorism. Our analysis of the U.S. Congress' Select Committees on Intelligence investigations in this area, yields our own definition:

"The deliberate damage, temporary or permanent, to a nation's computing infrastructure or other infrastructure controlled by a nation's computing infrastructure which is used to maliciously hinder, control, or destabilize elements of a nation's welfare."

In terms what consititutes a "nation's welfare", we would have to define this in terms of things that could be attacked directly. A cyber attack could destroy access to or cause direct destruction to a nation's welfare by causing damage to one of many national assets. This would include targets related to national economy, national psychology, national infrastructures (i.e. transportation, power, communications, citizens, schools, etc), or even perhaps even national resources such as historical monuments, mineral deposits or mining operations, water supplies, forests, or other such national treasures.

In one of the reports below, Winn Schwartau, author of Information Warfare: Chaos on the Information Highway defines Information Warfare as

"an electronic conflict in which information is a strategic asset worthy of conquest or destruction...".

Also cited is the unclassified 1995 DoD definition of Information Warfare,

"Actions taken to achieve information superiority by affecting adversary information, information-based processes, information systems, and computer-based netwroks while defending one's own information, information-based processes, information systems, and computer-based networks."

Of course, the national topic is the centerpeace of most analysts at this point in time, however, as you will see in at least one of the documents we cite, even a cyber attack on a small food chain will suffice as cyber terrorism, expecially if other, more traditional acts of terrorist are conducted. The following is a compilation of a number of knowledgeable writers focusing on the beginning of this new genre of terrorists.

For further reading in this topic area, consult the U.S. Information Agency Electronic Journal online at: http://usinfo.state.gov/journals/itps/1198/ijpe/ijpe1198.htm

Congressional Testimony on the topic:

Michael A. Vatis

National Infrastructure Protection Center.

7/26/00 - House Committee on Government Affairs Subcommittee on Government Management, Information, and Technology
5/25/00 - Senate Committee on Judiciary
3/16/00 - Senate Armed Service Committee, Subcommittee on Emerging Threats and Capabilities
Louis J. Freeh - Director of the FBI
March 28, 2000, before the Senate Committee on Judiciary, Subcommittee for the Technology, Terrorism, and Government Information
February 16, 2000, before the Senate Committee on Appropriations, Subcommittee for the Departments of Commerce, Justice, State, the Judiciary, and Related Agencies
Guadalupe Gonzalez - Special Agent In Charge, Phoenix Field Division, Federal Bureau of Investigation
4/2100 - before the Special Field Hearing Senate Committee on Judiciary Subcommittee on Technology, Terrorism, and Government Information

Other Studies

Information Warfare: Combatting the Threat into the 21st Century - Air Force Air University, Mary M. Gillam, Timothy Ryan, June, 1997
Cybernation: The American Infrastructure in the Information Age - U.S. Office of Science and Technology Policy
Director of Central Intelligence Counter Terrorism Center - March 1998

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