Terrorisim And Its Binding To The Internet

Terrorisim has been around for quite some time, but as the digital age progresses, more and more attacks can be seen through the usage of the internet. Terrorisim, the act of inflicting or using unlawful violence and intimidation against a country's population, has always been subjected to the idea of using physical weapons to take civilians captive or to cause massive damage to a country's infrastructure. No matter the circumstance, the use of terrorisim can be found causing astronomical issues.

With the emergence of cryptocurrencies, medical records, banking statements, and more; terrorists have more and more tools and targets for cyber-terrorisim. These connections allow cyber-terrorists to attack not only a country's treasury but also harm business and political agendas. Almost any and all information nowadays has some sort of copy of itself online. With that being said, articles such as voting polls and policy decisions could be altered by outside sources. Changing medical or criminal records alone could cause massive numbers of damage for a first-world country where most documentation would be counted on the internet. In all circumstances, terrorisim in this new form would not only be less traceable and easier to manage on the terrorist's end, but also safer as it doesn't require close-range armoury or any sort of travel through a foriegn border. Terrorists wouldn't have to worry about the ongoing military or government agencies on their back as they would be protected by their own home country. This makes terrorisim less volatile and more ideal for terrorists wanting to inflict harm in a "backend" sort of way.

Well, isn't cyber-terrorisim not the same as normal terrorisim? This is correct. Cyber-terrorisim, although different compared to normal terrorisim, is a different form of conflicting harm to a country as it introduces a whole new world of proper leverage. Hacking into databases could inquire terrorists with not only the possibility of another country's weapons if not secured correctly, but also plans, documents, and more which could all be leaked or used against the government. Things like this could be held to tear a country from the inside out, and in some circumstances, could be a lot more fatal to a country than just bombing a big city. Terrorists could have the potentiality of separating the people and belief for the government, slowly concluding to the country's downfall.

Now, why does all of this matter, and especially in a sense that we're living in 2021 and the possibility of actually getting hit by a physical terrorist attack is slim? Well, the fact that these attacks can happen online could suggest a surplus of cyber-terrorisim and the leakage of data. By being aware of this misconception and commonality as well as making sure that your online data personally is secure and limited to your stance, you can better prepare yourself for a cyber-terrorist attack. These attacks wouldn't target civilians and would target more of the government, but even with normal terrorist attacks, these tendencies lead to citizens who are a blueprint for getting caught in the crossfire and could be victimized to make a point on the terrorist's side.