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Information Warfare

Although experts like Schneier seem to feel that the Internet is of little value to terrorists, many others disagree. 10 Even Denning  recognizes that modern technology can support terrorism in many ways. Given opposition to the use of the term cyberterrorism, it is perhaps better to discuss how terrorists use technology in terms of information warfare. Dr Ivan Goldberg, Director of the Institute for the Advanced Study of Information Warfare (IASIW), defi nes information warfare as “… the offensive and defensive use of information and information systems to deny, exploit, corrupt, or destroy, an adversary’s information, information-based processes, information systems, and computer-based networks while protecting one’s own. Such actions are designed to achieve advantages over military, political or business adversaries.”

This kind of approach sees technology as an enabler, that is, as a tool or aid that supports a larger objective. In some cases, it may not be possible to achieve the objective at all without the help of enabling technology. If this seems a little unclear, imagine a robber planning to hold up a store. If he enters the store without any weapon at all, any threat he makes to the owner is unlikely to be taken seriously. The robber’s aim—stealing money—will only be achieved if he can frighten the owner of the store into handing over the contents of the cash register. In order to make his threats more convincing, the robber is likely to need a weapon, such as a gun or knife. In this way, the use of a weapon enables the robber to achieve his objective of holding up the store and stealing some money.

This idea can be applied to the use of the Internet and other technology by terrorists. Even if a terrorist group is incapable of causing signifi cant death or destruction directly through technical means, technology can cause indirect injury. In some cases, mounting an attack might not be possible at all without the use of technology in one form or another. As an example, Al Qaeda is known to have used computers to help plan and prepare attacks as early as 1993. According to the National Commission on Terrorist Attacks upon the United States, 13 both the 1993 and 2001 attacks on the World Trade Center made use of computers in various ways, from managing communications to helping plan the attacks in depth. Four years later, the Al Qaeda terrorists responsible for the attack on London in July 2005 also made use of computers, relying heavily on the Internet to support their communications and avoid detection.

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