Cyberterrorism on the Dark Web

Terrorism, in its broadest sense, is an action or threat against persons or properties with the purpose of negatively influencing governments or intimidating the public. In most cases, the term terrorism involves the use of fear and violence in the pursuit of ideological, religious, and political aims. Some of the most well-known terrorist organizations are the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS), the Taliban, and Al-Qaida. In the past few decades, terrorism has gone dark and digital. The term cyberterrorism was first mentioned by Dr. Barry Collin, and it describes a planned attack performed by terrorists on computer systems. Cyberterrorism can be found all over the internet, especially on the Dark Web. There has been a great deal of concern over the possible threat posed by cyberterrorism. The threat of cyberterrorists breaking into public and private computer networks and destroying the military, financial, and service sectors of countries has been...

What is terrorism?

On the worldwide networks that exist, new security threats and weaknesses are exposed as technology is increasingly ingrained in society. One of the greatest potential security dangers around the globe is cyberterrorism. It has surpassed the development of nuclear weapons and contemporary international crises in importance. Digital weapons represent a threat to entire economic or social institutions because of how prevalent the internet is and how much responsibility is put on it. There are various types of cyberterrorists. We can categorize them into four primary groups, as shown in Figure 6.1.

The first group is comprised of active terrorists who are actively planning attacks or making changes to certain websites. They launch a cyberattack using a computer network as a tool, then they utilize the attack as a weapon. Terrorist sympathizers fall into the second category; while lacking full information, they take part in terrorist activities because they hold the...

Why do terrorists use the Dark Web?

The idea of cyberterrorism has its origins in the early 1990s when studies on the possible hazards posed by the highly networked, high-tech-dependent United States were first published in response to the debate surrounding the burgeoning information society and the rapid development in internet use. We are at risk, the National Academy of Sciences declared in a 1990 report on computer security. US and the world are becoming more and more reliant on computers, and a terrorist of the future could be able to cause more destruction with a keyboard than with a bomb. For modern terrorists, cyberterrorism conducted through the Dark Web is an attractive option for several reasons:

• It is cheaper than traditional terrorist tactics: Terrorists only need a computer and an internet connection. Instead of purchasing weapons such as guns and bombs, terrorists can construct and distribute computer viruses using phone lines, cables, Bluetooth technologies...

How do terrorists operate on the Dark Web?

Many people worry that cyberterrorism poses a serious threat to the economies of nations and that an assault may perhaps trigger another Great Depression. Since the late 1990s, terrorists can be found on several online sites. However, it was discovered that terrorists seeking the ultimate anonymity would find the Surface Web to be too perilous because they could be watched, tracked, and located. Many of the social media platforms and websites used by terrorists on the Surface Web are watched by anti-terrorism organizations, and they are frequently taken down or compromised.

On the Dark Web, however, decentralized and anonymous networks help terrorist sites avoid capture and closure. Beatrice Berton of the European Union Institute for Security Studies wrote in her report on ISIS’s use of the Dark Web: “ISIS’s activities on the Surface Web are now being monitored closely, and the decision by a number of governments to...

Countering Dark Web terrorism

The ability to research and combat Dark Web terrorism has been hampered by the secrecy of this area of the web and the absence of practical methodology built for data collecting and analysis on the Dark Web. The possibility of cyberattacks from the Dark Web employing TOR networks was emphasized in IBM’s security division’s report on security threats for the third quarter of 2015. It is extremely essential to offer proof that the Dark Web has evolved into a significant hub for international terrorism and criminal activity in order to inspire the creation of the tools required to combat it. Based on the characteristics of cyberterrorism, it is possible to reconstruct the criminological dimensions of terrorist attacks on the Dark Web. But first, the following questions must be analyzed:

• Who are the offenders of cyberterrorism (whether the state discards them, whether they are supported by a state, whether they are quasi-public formations...

Summary

In the age of information technology, terrorism can be divided into three categories: conventional terrorism, where traditional weapons (such as explosives and guns) are used to physically harm resources and people; techno terrorism, where traditional weapons are used to harm infrastructure and cause damage online; and cyberterrorism, where new weapons (such as malicious software, electromagnetic and microwave weapons) are used. Security agencies that are in charge of looking into terrorism, including cyberterrorism, must be on guard due to the prevalence of cyberterrorism and its phenomenon. This includes making sure that there is enough funding for staffing, tools, and training, as well as urging people to be alert and report any suspicious activity. The following chapter discusses ways in which law enforcement and the private sector combat crime on the Dark Web.