Research published in the International Journal of Electronic Security and Digital Forensics has looked at the role cyberterrorism plays in the emergence of international crises. Cyberterrorism threatens us at the local, regional, and international levels, the work suggests, and reveals once again how any tool no matter how useful or critical can be subverted and used for malicious intent.
Abedalrzag Aldalbeeh of the Prince Al-Hussein bin Abdullah II Academy for Civil Protection at the Al-Balqa Applied University and Ahmad Alsharqawi of the Faculty of Law at the Applied Science Private University, both in Jordan, explain that the benefits wrought by technological developments can always be exploited for harm. They point out that in terms of online technology on which so many people now rely, “cyber threats have become so complex that it has become difficult to limit them or develop tight strategies to fully confront them, especially with their multiple forms and sources and rapid and continuous development.”
Security policies at the national and international level must face up to this growing problem. How they do so is not entirely clear as technology continues to evolve and those with malicious intent continues to exploit it in novel ways. It is important that we understand how malicious activity online, cyber threats, cyberterrorism might lead to international crises if we are to prevent such crises developing.
Cyberterrorism is by definition just as heinous as conventional terrorism, it can instil fear and anxiety in the same way as conventional acts, if we imagine a potentially lethal attack on infrastructure such as hospitals, national defences, manufacturing industries, power supply and beyond.
Aldalbeeh, A. and Alsharqawi, A. (2023) ‘Cyber terrorism and its role in the outbreak of international crisis’, Int. J. Electronic Security and Digital Forensics, Vol. 15, No. 1, pp.24–32.