CYBER TERRORISM

Cyberterrorism is the use of the Internet to conduct violent acts that result in, or threaten, loss of life or
significant bodily harm, in order to achieve political or ideological gains through threat or intimidation. It is
also sometimes considered an act of Internet terrorism where terrorist activities, including acts of deliberate,
large-scale disruption of computer networks, especially of personal computers attached to the Internet by
means of tools such as computer viruses, computer worms, phishing, and other malicious software and
hardware methods and programming scripts. Cyberterrorism is a controversial term. Some authors opt for a
very narrow definition, relating to deployment by known terrorist organizations of disruption attacks against
information systems for the primary purpose of creating alarm, panic, or physical disruption. Other authors
prefer a broader definition, which includes cybercrime. Participating in a cyberattack affects the terror threat
perception, even if it isn't done with a violent approach. By some definitions, it might be difficult to
distinguish which instances of online activities are cyberterrorism or cybercrime.
Cyberterrorism can be also defined as the intentional use of computers, networks, and public internet to
cause destruction and harm for personal objectives. Experienced cyberterrorists, who are very skilled in
terms of hacking can cause massive damage to government systems, hospital records, and national security
programs, which might leave a country, community or organization in turmoil and in fear of further
attacks. The objectives of such terrorists may be political or ideological since this can be considered a form
of terror.
There is much concern from government and media sources about potential damage that could be caused by
cyberterrorism, and this has prompted efforts by government agencies such as the Federal Bureau of
Investigations (FBI) and the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) to put an end to cyber attacks and
cyberterrorism.
There have been several major and minor instances of cyberterrorism. Al-Qaeda utilized the internet to
communicate with supporters and even to recruit new members. Estonia, a Baltic country which is
constantly evolving in terms of technology, became a battleground for cyberterror in April, 2007 after
disputes regarding the relocation of a WWII soviet statue located in Estonia's capital Tallinn.

CASE STUDY
In 1998, Spanish protesters bombarded the Institute for Global Communications (IGC) with thousands of
bogus e-mail messages. E-mail was tied up and undeliverable to the ISP's users, and support lines were tied
up with people who couldn't get their mail. The protestors also spammed IGC staff and member accounts,
clogged their Web page with bogus credit card orders, and threatened to employ the same tactics against
organizations using IGC services. They demanded that IGC stop hosting the Web site for the Euskal Herria
Journal, a New York-based publication supporting Basque independence. Protestors said IGC supported
terrorism because a section on the Web pages contained materials on the terrorist group ETA, which claimed
responsibility for assassinations of Spanish political and security officials, and attacks on military
installations. IGC finally relented and pulled the site because of the "mail bombings."

DOMESTIC TERRORISM

CASE STUDY 2: Presumption of innocence

 

Krause v Switzerland*

In the Krause case, the European Commission on Human Rights addressed the situation of public officials
making statements regarding terrorist suspects under investigation.
Ms. Krause was detained on remand in Switzerland pending trial for terrorist offences. A terrorist
commando composed of German and Palestinian terrorists had hijacked a plane. The commando demanded
the release of various prisoners, including Ms. Krause, a woman connected to a German terrorist group.
The Swiss Federal Minister of Justice was asked on television how his Government intended to react. In a
first interview, he stated that "Petra Krause cannot be considered a simple Palestinian freedom fighter. She
has committed common law offences relating to the use of explosives. She will stand trial in autumn as a
remand detainee. The fight against terrorism cannot be conducted by releasing terrorists." In a second
television interview, he declared that Ms. Krause was linked to several explosives incidents, "she has to
stand trial - I do not know the judgment. Terrorism cannot be fought by renouncing the rule of law".
Ms. Krause complained to the European Commission on Human Rights that these statements violated the
presumption of innocence. The Commission stressed that the presumption of innocence would be violated
where a public official declared that a suspect is guilty of an offence before a court has established guilt. At
the same time, authorities will not violate the presumption by informing the public about ongoing
investigations, about arrests, about confessions made by suspects.
The Commission noted that the Swiss Federal Minister of Justice could have chosen his words more
carefully. However, he had made clear that Ms. Krause still had to stand trial. In the second interview, he
had specifically stated that he did not know what the outcome of the court proceedings would be. The
Commission therefore concluded that the presumption of innocence had not been violated.