The Dynamics of Cyber Terrorism

The changing nature of cyber conflicts in the era of information technology marks a noticeable shift from physical realms towards digital realms, wherein nation-states and non-state actors effectively leverage cyberspace for political, social, ideological and economic purposes. Asymmetry Conflict is in its central theme of cyberterrorism. With limited resources, supply chains and logistics, power-deficient groups effectively leverage cyberspace, against strong adversaries through coordinated cyberattacks on critical infrastructure including, energy, finance, transportation, healthcare, defense and communication. The difficulty of attribution allows non-state actors to effectively leverage cyberspace by acting freely and challenging the conventional deterrence capabilities of the state. Further, terrorist organizations prefer decentralized networks making them highly adaptable and resilient. With unclear boundaries between cybercrime and cyberterrorism it becomes challenging to comprehend such security scenarios