Rethinking the threat of cyberterrorism

Abstract

Chapter Overview: Cyberterrorism is a mongrel concept. Different notions of cyberterrorism, and the kinds of operations that can occur in the cyber domain, give rise to different types of policy problems. This stems from a general problem found in broader discussions of cyber conflict, which are founded on persistent myths regarding the vulnerabilities, threat actors, nature of conflict, and the domain itself. This chapter begins with a non-technical overview of cyberspace aiming to clarify the technological realities underlying the domain by focusing on the difference between Information and Communications Technology (ICT) and industrial control systems (ICS). The paper refines the contextual environments of cyber events to expose the seams between the kinds of operations a terrorist organization may conduct in cyberspace. A range of cyber operations across a spectrum of conflict affects illustrates the variance in the terrorist misuse of cyber. Each contextual environment presents different challenges for national security.