CyberTerrorism Has Arrived

http://www.forbes.com/sites/josephsteinberg/2015/04/11/isis-blacks-out-french-television-station-broadcasts-cyberterrorism-has-arrived/

Terrorism is taking a turn to the cyber world.  Islamic State (ISIS) blacked out broadcasts on 11 channels of French television station, TV5Monde last week.  The group took the station off the air for several hours.  Though this attack wasn’t significant in its overall effects, it is a major indicator on what is to come.  Before, terrorists did not think it worth the cost to conduct cyberterrorism, but now, they are realizing the impact they can have. Particularly for a group heavy in displaying violence in videos, hacking a TV station constitutes a victory for the terrorist group.

The article does remind us of the importance of security and made sure to point out how vulnerable the station was to such an attack.  It further illustrates how the victim of the attack made it rather simple by avoiding easy precautions to ensure system safety.  Lastly, we are reminded on the importance for everyone to have security on systems, not just large corporations and the government.  Information that can fall into the wrong hands can have debilitating effects on a country.

1. Do you think the terrorists would have been able to carry off the attack had the TV station been a more diligent in securing its systems?

2. What types of attacks would you expect to see now that the tables are turning and cyber attacks are becoming a new type of weapon?

3. This attack did not cause major damage, but can they cause more?  Do you think terrorists will gain the in-depth knowledge and skills to carry out more sophisticated attacks that would cause as much damage as a physical attack, or do you believe we can stay one step ahead in the cyber world?