Tools of Cyber Terrorism

Cyber terrorists use certain tools and methods to unleash this new age terrorism.These are:

  • Hacking: The most popular method used by a terrorist. It is a generic term used for any kind of unauthorized access to a computer or a network of computers. Some ingredient technologies like packet sniffing, tempest attack, password cracking and buffer outflow facilitates hacking.
  • Trojans: Programmes which pretend to do one thing while actually are meant for doing something different, like the wooden Trojan Horse of the Ist Century BC.
  • Computer Viruses: It is a computer programme, which infects other computer, programmes by modifying them. They spread very fast.
  • Computer Worms: The term ‘worm’ in relation to computers is a self-contained programme or a set of programmes that is able to spread functional copies of itself or its segments to other computer systems usually via network connections.
  • E-Mail Related Crime: Usually worms and viruses have to attach themselves to a host programme to be injected. Certain emails are used as host by viruses and worms. E-mails are also used for spreading disinformation, threats and defamatory stuff.
  • Denial of Service: These attacks are aimed at denying authorized persons access to a computer or computer network.
  • Cryptology: Terrorists have started using encryption, high frequency encrypted voice/data links, etc. It would be a Herculean task to decrypt the information terrorist is sending by using a 512-bit symmetric encryption.

What is Cybercrime?

When Internet was developed, the founding fathers of Internet hardly had any inclination that Internet could also be misused for criminal activities. Today, there are many disturbing things happening in cyberspace. Cybercrime refers to all the activities done with criminal intent in cyberspace. These could be either the criminal activities in the conventional sense or could be activities, newly evolved with the growth of the new medium. Because of the anonymous nature of the Internet, it is possible to engage into a variety of criminal activities with impunity and people with intelligence, have been grossly misusing this aspect of the Internet to perpetuate criminal activities in cyberspace. The field of Cybercrime is just emerging and new forms of criminal activities in cyberspace are coming to the forefront with the passing of each new day.

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