What are the key elements of terrorism?
Acts of terrorism are premeditated, politically motivated, and directed at civilians and are perpetrated by subnational groups rather than by the army of a state. Terrorism is a form of psychological warfare that seeks to spread fear, mistrust, and helplessness among the ordinary citizens of a society. Modern terrorists rely heavily on the mass media and use a constant stream of broadcasting (radio, television, video, and the Internet) to achieve the fullest psychological impact on their targets.

How was the Internet used for the 9/11 attacks?
The al Qaeda operatives used the Internet to collect information such as flight times; to communicate reliably and in real time among themselves and with terrorist cells; and to share information and coordinate their attacks. Two of the hijackers (who relied heavily on their laptops) would not check into a Florida hotel unless they were provided with around-the-clock Internet access in their room. The terrorists used the Internet to purchase airline tickets, steal Social Security numbers, and obtain fake drivers’ licenses. The leader of the 9/11 attacks, Mohamed Atta, went online from Hamburg, Germany, to research U.S. flight schools. Astoundingly, the terrorists used the Internet in public places and sent messages via public e-mail.

How did the 9/11 terrorists’ Internet use go undetected? 
The 9/11 attackers communicated openly and disseminated information using prearranged code words. For instance, the “faculty of urban planning” meant the World Trade Center, and the Pentagon was referred to as the “faculty of fine arts.” Mohammed Atta’s final message to the eighteen other terrorists who conducted the 9/11 attacks read, in code: “The semester begins in three more weeks. We’ve obtained 19 confirmations for studies in the faculty of law, the faculty of urban planning, the faculty of fine arts, and the faculty of engineering.”

In what other ways can terrorists disguise their plans on the Internet? 
Another method used by terrorists to avoid the detection of compromising information issteganography, which involves hiding messages inside graphic files. This type of code can be in the form of maps, photographs, directions, and technical details. Messages are hidden on web pages with access limited to users who have the right password. A digital image of a sailboat, for example, might hold a communiqué or a map. A digital song file might contain blueprints of a targeted building.

What sorts of methods are used by the authorities to monitor terrorist Internet activity?
The “Puzzle Palace” is the nickname for the world’s most powerful and sophisticated electronic eavesdropping and antiterrorism system. It allows supercomputers to monitor and investigate millions of online and telephone messages every day.

Another surveillance system is called Total Information Awareness. It’s designed to search and identify suspicious messages from potential terrorists among the everyday traffic of millions of Internet users. Capturing traffic over the Net is called “sniffing,” with the sniffer being the software that searches the traffic to find those items it is programmed to find. One sniffer, “Carnivore,” had been in use before 9/11 and was officially unveiled by the FBI afterward. It operates like a telephone wiretap applied to the Internet.

Encryption is software that locks computerized information to keep it private; only those with an “electronic key” can decode the information. One of the latest eavesdropping systems, codenamed “Magic Lantern,” is a program that, once installed on a suspect’s computer, records every keystroke typed.

What is cyberterrorism?
The term “cyberterrorism” has traditionally been used to refer to the use of computers to sabotage critical national infrastructures (such as energy and transportation networks, or government operations). As modern infrastructure systems have become more dependent on computerized networks, new vulnerabilities have emerged, creating “a massive electronic Achilles’ heel.”

How real is the threat of cyberterrorism? 
It is important to realize that there has been no actual instance of cyberterrorism recorded to date. U.S. defense and intelligence computer systems are “air-gapped”—not physically connected to the Internet. Individual businesses actively protect their computer systems through the use of firewalls and so forth.

But because the West is a wired society, with most critical infrastructure networked through computers, the potential threat of cyberterrorism is real. Our dependence on information technology has created a new form of vulnerability, giving terrorists the opportunity to approach targets that would otherwise be utterly unassailable, such as air traffic systems, utility systems, dams, federal reservoirs, chemical plants, and power plants. In the United States alone there are 104 nuclear plants. As the technological sophistication of terrorists grows, so too will the potential for cyberterrorism.

What is the appeal of cyberterrorism for terrorists? 
It is cheaper, easier, and more anonymous than traditional terrorist methods of attack. All that is needed is access to a computer server with an online connection. Attacks can be launched from a distance, a feature that is especially appealing to terrorists. And cyberterrorist attacks have the potential to harm a larger number of people than could be killed and injured by traditional terrorist methods—a dreadful fact that generates greater media coverage, which is the ultimate objective of all acts of terrorism.

Latest Publications

Moscow Concert Hall Attack Will Have Far-Reaching Impact

Moscow Concert Hall Attack Will Have Far-Reaching Impact

Wednesday, March 27, 2024

By: Mary Glantz, Ph.D.;  Gavin Helf, Ph.D.;  Asfandyar Mir, Ph.D.;  Andrew Watkins

On Friday, terrorists attacked the Crocus City Hall outside Moscow leaving 140 people dead and 80 others critically wounded. Soon after, the Islamic State claimed responsibility for the attack. The terrorist group, which is headquartered in Iraq and Syria, has several branches, including in South and Central Asia. Press reports suggest the U.S. government believes the Afghanistan-based affiliate of the Islamic State, ISIS-Khorasan (ISIS-K), was behind the attack. The Biden administration has publicly noted that it had warned the Russian government of the terrorism threat in early March in line with the procedure of “Duty to Warn.”

Type: Analysis

Global Policy

What Does the U.N. Cease-Fire Resolution Mean for the Israel-Gaza War?

What Does the U.N. Cease-Fire Resolution Mean for the Israel-Gaza War?

Tuesday, March 26, 2024

By: Robert Barron

On March 25, the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) passed Resolution 2728, calling for an “immediate” cease-fire in Gaza. The motion’s passage came after weeks of back and forth and posturing among the UNSC’s permanent and rotating members. The exact phrasing of the resolution and its relevance to the situation on the ground, as well as bilateral and multilateral relations — particularly U.S.-Israel ties — have been the subject of heavy public and media attention since Monday, raising questions about the resolution’s subtext, intent and limitations. USIP’s Robert Barron looks at these questions.

Type: Question and Answer

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Angela Stent on the Terror Attack in Moscow

Angela Stent on the Terror Attack in Moscow

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By: Angela Stent

While ISIS has claimed responsibility for the devastating terror attack in Moscow, Putin has baselessly tried to shift the blame to Ukraine, says USIP’s Angela Stent: “[Putin] wants to use this to increase repression at home … and also to pursue a more aggressive path in Ukraine.”

Type: Podcast

What’s Driving India-China Tensions?

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Monday, March 25, 2024

By: Dean Cheng;  Sameer P. Lalwani, Ph.D.;  Daniel Markey, Ph.D.;  Nilanthi Samaranayake

Since deadly clashes between India and China on their 2,100-mile disputed border — known as the Line of Actual Control (LAC) — nearly four years ago, the two countries have remained in a standoff and amassed an increasing number of troops on either side of the LAC. While India and China have held regular exchanges at the corps commander level since 2020, each side has also continued to militarize and invest in infrastructure in the high-altitude border regions, which may exacerbate risks of clashes or escalation. India-China competition has also deepened beyond the land border, particularly in the Indian Ocean region.

Type: Question and Answer

Global Policy

Three Conditions for Successful Engagement with North Korea

Three Conditions for Successful Engagement with North Korea

Monday, March 25, 2024

By: Mark Tokola

The September 13, 2023, meeting between Vladimir Putin and Kim Jong Un in Russia’s Amur Oblast marked a significant crippling of the decades-long U.S. pressure-based approach toward North Korea. The strategy of isolating and pressuring North Korea through United Nations Security Council resolutions to compel its nuclear disarmament in exchange for providing normalized relations, economic aid and sanctions relief may or may not ever have been a winning strategy, but now is no longer viable. The strategy required cooperation among the United States, South Korea, China and Russia, but this now seems a distant prospect.

Type: Analysis

Global Policy

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