It is true to say that terrorism can be defined in many ways depending on the situation as can be seen throughout history, therefore it can be suggested that terrorism is like a method of fighting. This can also be linked to the strategies that are used to fight wars, where strategies change depending on the type of war that is getting fought. This applies to terrorism because the groups change structurally which leads to their goals changing due to the fact that they apply what they have learned from their past battles. When countries fight wars their tactics will change depending on the type of war they are fighting. According to Brian Jenkins there are six tactics of terrorism: bombing, hijacking, arson, assault, kidnapping, and hostage-taking. Currently in modern society all six of these terrorist tactics are in some shape or form influenced by the sophistication of society. In this post we will discuss two tactics that are employed by terrorist organizations
The first tactic is Cyberterrorism where computers are used to attack technological targets such as a physical attack on computer networks. The National Conference of State Legislatures defines cyberterrorism as the use of information technology by terrorists to promote a political agenda. We could say that cyberterrorism could also be considered another form of computer hacking but by terrorist groups trying to achieve a political agenda. Cyberterrorism targets: computers, computer networks, and information storage and retrieval systems. The most common cyberterrorism has been the defacement of websites. Some tactics that have been used in cyberterrorism has been Trojan horses, or malicious programs that appear harmless, can contain malevolent codes that can destroy a system by allowing terrorists to enter computer systems thought to be secure. Michael Whine believes that computers allow terrorist groups to remain connected, providing a means for covert discussions and anonymity. Cyberterrorism has made informational networks very vulnerable because terrorist groups utilize the internet more than ever to launch attacks.
Another type of tactic that terrorists utilize is Chemical and Radiological Weapons, which are also called Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD). There are four types of chemical agents: nerve agents, blood agents, choking agents, and blistering agents. Nerve agents enter the body through ingestion, respiration, or contact. Blood and choking agents are usually absorbed through the respiratory system, and blistering agent’s burn skin and internal tissue upon contact. While as in terms of Radiological weapons they produce short term burns and long term contamination which could later lead to health problems. According to Jonathan White chemical attack is an attractive weapon for terrorists because they are easy to control. One type of radiological WMD that is very lethal and feared by all is nuclear weapons. WMD are used worldwide by terrorists to achieve their political agenda.
As we have seen technology has become a big enhancer in the types of tactics that terrorists employ while carrying out an attack. The common forms that were discussed are cyberterrorism, chemical and radiological weapons. As society progresses and becomes sophisticated technologically so do the types of attacks that are carried out by terrorist groups. There needs to be a way that networking systems can be monitored so that sites under high security can’t be breached and attacked terrorist groups on the World Wide Web. Unlike cyberterrorism WMD is hard to monitor because any person at home can make a bomb, by buying supplies at their local hardware store. The problem that we face as a society is that not only has technology become more sophisticated so has the tactical approaches of terrorists.
Websites:
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/cyberwar/vulnerable/threat.html
http://fpc.state.gov/documents/organization/9184.pdf
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