What is cyber-terrorism, and is it a threat to U.S. national security?
Articles
Thu, 11/04/2021 - 2:32am
by Christopher O’Brien
Abstract
The primary defense and security concerns of the 21st-century have been and will continue to be driven by the strategic phenomena of cyberspace and terrorism.
However, there are several competing definitions of both cyberspace and terrorism, and there is no universally accepted definition for many cyber-related activities (i.e. cyber-terrorism, cyber-warfare, and cyber-crime).
Cyber-terrorism is often loosely defined as the “convergence of terrorism and cyberspace,” which allows for a wide range of interpretation and confusion.[ii] This paper provides a more pragmatic definition of cyber-terrorism by addressing the nuances of previously proposed definitions in order to help the U.S. national security apparatus address current and future threats. Additionally, it will discuss what constitutes a cyber-terror attack and how it differs from other cyber-crimes.
Lastly, it will then determine what threat, if any, cyber-terrorism poses to U.S. national security. To do so, I will first provide definitions for both cyberspace and terrorism which are helpful for understanding the distinct phenomenon of cyber-terrorism.
Keywords
Terrorism, Cyberspace, Cyber-terrorism
Defining Terrorism and Cyberspace
Terrorism
Many scholars agree “there is no globally agreed, unambiguous definition or description of terrorism – popular,
https://smallwarsjournal.com/jrnl/art/what-cyber-terrorism-and-it-threat-us-national-security
