Cyberterrorism
poses a significant threat to the national security of the United States of America (USA), with critical
infrastructure, such as commercial facilities, dams, emergency services, food
and agriculture, healthcare and public health, and transportation
systems virtually at risk. Consequently, this is due primarily to the country’s heavy dependence on
computer networks. With both domestic and international terrorists increasingly
targeting any vulnerabilities in computer systems and networks, information
sharing among security agencies has become critical. Cyberterrorism can be
regarded as the purest form of information warfare. This literature review
examines cyberterrorism and strategic
communications, focusing on domestic cyberterrorism. Notable themes
include the meaning of cyberterrorism, how cyberterrorism differs from cybercrime,
and the threat posed by cyberterrorism to the USA. Prevention and deterrence of
cyberterrorism through information sharing and legislation are also key themes.
Finally, gaps in knowledge are identified, and questions warranting additional
research are outlined.
References
[1]
Harrison Dinniss, H.A. (2018) The Threat of Cyber Terrorism and What International Law Should (Try to) Do about It. Georgetown Journal of International Affairs, 19, 43-50. https://doi.org/10.1353/gia.2018.0006
[2]
Janparvar, M., Salehabadi, R. and Ahmadi, S. (2019) Management of Strategic Cyberspace Boundaries to Control Cyberterrorism. Soft Power Studies, 8, 99-126.
[3]
Kerttunen, M. (2020) Cyberterrorism: A Schrödinger’s Cat. In: Tikk, E. and Kerttunen, M., Eds., Routledge Handbook of International Cybersecurity, Routledge, London, 161-173. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781351038904-15
[4]
Veerasamy, N. (2020) Cyberterrorism—The Specter That Is the Convergence of the Physical and Virtual Worlds. In: Benson, V. and Mcalaney, J., Eds., Emerging Cyber Threats and Cognitive Vulnerabilities, Academic Press, Cambridge, 27-52. https://doi.org/10.1016/B978-0-12-816203-3.00002-2
[5]
Droogan, J. and Waldek, L. (2018) Should We Be Afraid of Cyber-Terrorism? International Journal of Electronic Security and Digital Forensics, 10, 242-254. https://doi.org/10.1504/IJESDF.2018.093017
[6]
Jarvis, L. and Macdonald, S. (2015) What Is Cyberterrorism? Findings from a Survey of Researchers. Terrorism and Political Violence, 27, 657-678. https://doi.org/10.1080/09546553.2013.847827
[7]
Mayer Lux, L. (2018) Defining Cyberterrorism. Revista chilena de derecho y tecnología, 7, 5-25. https://doi.org/10.5354/0719-2584.2018.51028
[8]
Schoen, F. and Lamb, C.J. (2012) Deception, Disinformation, and Strategic Communications: How One Interagency Group Made a Major Difference. National Defense University Press, Washington DC.
[9]
Broeders, D., Cristiano, F. and Weggemans, D. (2021) Too Close for Comfort: Cyber Terrorism and Information Security across National Policies and International Diplomacy. Studies in Conflict & Terrorism. https://doi.org/10.1080/1057610X.2021.1928887
[10]
Jarvis, L., Macdonald, S. and Nouri, L. (2014) The Cyberterrorism Threat: Findings from a Survey of Researchers. Studies in Conflict & Terrorism, 37, 68-90. https://doi.org/10.1080/1057610X.2014.853603
[11]
Klein, J.J. (2015) Deterring and Dissuading Cyberterrorism. Journal of Strategic Security, 8, 23-38. https://doi.org/10.5038/1944-0472.8.4.1460
[12]
Denning, D.E. (2001) Activism, Hacktivism, and Cyberterrorism: The Internet as a Tool for Influencing Foreign Policy. In: Arquilla, J. and Ronfeldt, D., Eds., Networks and Netwars: The Future of Terror, Crime, and Militancy, RAND, Santa Monica, 239-288.
[13]
Nechyporuk, M., Pavlikov, V., Filipenko, N., Spitsyna, H. and Shynkarenko, I. (2020) Cyberterrorism Attacks on Critical Infrastructure and Aviation: Criminal and Legal Policy of Countering. In: Nechyporuk, M., Pavlikov, V. and Kritskiy, D., Eds., ICTM 2020: Integrated Computer Technologies in Mechanical Engineering-2020, Springer, Cham, 206-217. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-66717-7_17
[14]
Nweke, L.O. and Wolthusen, S. (2020) Legal Issues Related to Cyber Threat Information Sharing among Private Entities for Critical Infrastructure Protection. 2020 12th International Conference on Cyber Conflict (CyCon), Estonia, 26-29 May 2020, 63-78. https://doi.org/10.23919/CyCon49761.2020.9131721
[15]
Yang, A., Kwon, Y.J. and Lee, S.Y.T. (2020) The Impact of Information Sharing Legislation on the Cybersecurity Industry. Industrial Management & Data Systems, 120, 1777-1794. https://doi.org/10.1108/IMDS-10-2019-0536
[16]
Vakilinia, I., Tosh, D.K. and Sengupta, S. (2017) Privacy-Preserving Cybersecurity Information Exchange Mechanism. 2017 International Symposium on Performance Evaluation of Computer and Telecommunication Systems (SPECTS), Seattle, 9-12 July 2017, 1-7. https://doi.org/10.23919/SPECTS.2017.8046783
[17]
Korte, J. (2017) Mitigating Cyber Risks through Information Sharing. Journal of Payments Strategy & Systems, 11, 203-214.
[18]
Rantos, K., Spyros, A., Papanikolaou, A., Kritsas, A., Ilioudis, C. and Katos, V. (2020) Interoperability Challenges in the Cybersecurity Information Sharing Ecosystem. Computers, 9, Article 18. https://doi.org/10.3390/computers9010018
[19]
Jarvis, L. and Macdonald, S. (2014) Locating Cyberterrorism: How Terrorism Researchers Use and View the Cyber Lexicon. Perspectives on Terrorism, 8, 52-65.
[20]
Ramadhan, I. (2020) Cyber-Terrorism in The Context of Proselytizing, Coordination, Security, and Mobility. Journal of Islamic World and Politics, 4, 179-197. https://doi.org/10.18196/jiwp.4252
[21]
Abbasi Kalimani, A., Mahboubi, M. and Noori, F. (2020) New Strategies to Prevent Cyber Terrorism. Crime Prevention Approach, 3, 145-172.
[22]
Wardle, C. and Derakhshan, H. (2017) Information Disorder: Toward an Interdisciplinary Framework for Research and Policy-Making. Council of Europe, Eurométropole de Strasbourg. https://rm.coe.int/information-disorder-report-november-2017/1680764666
