Computer Attack and Cyber Terrorism : Vulnerabilities and Policy Issues for Congress

By Wilson, Clay

Book Id: WPLBN0000021188
Format Type: PDF eBook
File Size: 0.2 MB
Reproduction Date: 2008

Title:	Computer Attack and Cyber Terrorism : Vulnerabilities and Policy Issues for Congress
Author:	Wilson, Clay
Volume:
Language:	English
Subject:	Government publications, Legislation., Government Printing Office (U.S.)
Collections:	Government Library Collection
Historic Publication Date:
Publisher:	Government Printing Office


Citation APA MLA Chicago Wilson, C. (n.d.). Computer Attack and Cyber Terrorism : Vulnerabilities and Policy Issues for Congress. Retrieved from http://gutenberg.cc/

Excerpt
Introduction: Many Pentagon officials reportedly believe that future adversaries may be unwilling to array conventional forces against U.S. troops, and instead may resort to “asymmetric warfare” where a less powerful opponent uses other strategies to offset and negate U.S. technological superiority. Also, partly because the U.S. military relies significantly on the civilian information infrastructure, these officials believe that future conflicts maybe characterized by a blurring in distinction between civilian and military targets. As a consequence, they believe that government and civilian computers and information systems are increasingly becoming a viable target for opponents of the U.S., including international terrorist groups.

Table of Contents
Contents Background . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Definition of Cyber Terrorism . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 WhyComputer Attacks are Successful . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 Why Computer Vulnerabilities Persist . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 Possible Effects of Cyber Attack . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 Lower Risk, but Less Drama . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 SCADA Systems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8 Capabilities for Cyber Attack . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10 Terrorist Organizations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11 Terrorist-Sponsoring Nations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13 Possible Links Between Hackers and Terrorists . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14 Issues for Congress . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15 Issues linked to a DOD Response to Cyber Terrorism . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15 Guidance for DOD . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15 U.S. Use of Cyber Weapons . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16 Privacy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16 TerrorismInformation Awareness Program . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17 Other Search Technologies . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18 The Roles of Government, Industry, and Home Users . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19 National Director for Cyber Security . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19 National Strategy to Secure Cyberspace . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19 Commercial Software Vulnerabilities . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19 Awareness and Education . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20 Coordination to Protect Against Cyber Terrorism . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20 Information Sharing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20 International Issues . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21 Options for Congress . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22 Privacy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22 The Roles of Government, Industry, and Home Users . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22 Coordination to Protect Against Cyber Terrorism . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23 Information Sharing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23 Education and Incentives . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23