User:Dalton110/Cyberterrorism

Overview

Current Threats

Cyberterrorism ranks among the highest potential security threats in the world. It has become more critical than the development of nuclear weapons or the current conflicts between nations. Due to the pervasiveness of the internet and the amount of responsibility assigned to this technology, digital weapons pose a threat to entire economic or social systems. Some of the most critical international security concerns include:

DDoS Attacks – Millions of Denial of Service attacks occur every year and the service disruption can cost hundreds of thousands of dollars each hour they are down. It is important to keep critical systems secured and redundant to remain online during these attacks.

Social Engineering – In 1997 an experiment conducted by the NSA concluded that thirty five-hackers were able to access critical pentagon computer systems and could easily edit accounts, reformat data and even shut down entire systems. Often they used phishing tactics such as calling offices and pretending to be technicians to gain passwords.

Third Party Software – The top retailers are connected with thousands of separate third-party recourses and at least 23% of those assets have at least one critical vulnerability. These companies need to manage and reevaluate their network security in order to keep personal data safe.

Future Threats

As technology becomes more and more integrated into society, new vulnerabilities and security threats are opened up on these complex networks that we have set up. If an intruder was to gain access to these networks they have the potential to threaten entire communities or economic systems. There is no certainty for what events will take place in the future, which is why it is important that there are systems build to adapt to the changing environment.

The most apparent cyberterrorism threat in our near future will involve the state of remote work during the COVID-19 pandemic. Companies cannot expect that every home office is up to date and secure so they must adopt a zero-trust policy from home devices. This means that they must assume corporate resources and unsecured devices are sharing the same space and they must act accordingly.

The rise of cryptocurrency has also sparked some additional threats in the realm of security. Cyber Criminals are now hijacking home computers and company networks in order to mine certain cryptocurrencies such as bitcoin. This mining process requires an immense amount of computer processing power which can cripple a business’ network and lead to severe downtime if the issue is not resolved.

China’s leaders have invested in its foundations of cyber defense and quantum computing and artificial intelligence.

39 Chinese soldiers were chosen  to strengthen China’s cyber defenses. The reason given by Spokesman for the Ministry of National Defense, Geng Yansheng was that their internet protection was currently weak. Geng claimed that the program was only temporary to help improve cyber defenses.

In India, the demand for cyber security professionals has increased over 100 per cent in 2021 and will rise 200 per cent by 2024.

Eighty two percent of companies in India had a ransomware attack in the year 2020. The cost it takes to recover from a ransomware attack in India has gone from $1.1 million in 2020 to $3.38 million in 2021. India is at the top of the list of 30 countries for ransomware attacks

A cyber-attack took place on the electricity grid in Maharashtra that resulted in a power outage. This occurred in October of 2020 and the authorities believe China was behind it.

Important information like dates of birth and full names were leaked for thousands of patients who were tested for Covid-19. This information was made accessible on Google and was leaked from government websites.

The job portal IIMjobs was attacked and the information of 1.4 million people looking for jobs was leaked. The information leaked was quite extensive including the location of users and their names and phone numbers.

The information for 500,000 Indian police personal was sold on a forum in February of 2021. The information contained much personal information. The data was from a police exam taken in December of 2019.

This attack wounded the systems of two banks and the computer networks of three TV broadcasters. The incident was a massive blow, and the attacker was never identified. It was theorized to be North Korea. The week before North Korea accused the United States and South Korea of shutting down their internet for two days.

North Korea's cyberwarfare is incredibly efficient and the best of state-sponsored hackers. Those who are chosen to be hackers are selected when they are young and trained specifically in cyberwarfare. Hackers are trained to steal money from ATMs but not enough to be reported. North Korea is great at zero-day exploits. The country will hack anyone they chose to. They steal secrets from companies and government agencies and steal money from financial systems to fund their hacking operations.

USA

In May 2021, President Joe Biden announced an executive order aiming to improve America's cybersecurity. It came about after an increase in cybersecurity attacks aimed at the country's public and private sector. The plan aims to improve the government's cyberdefense by working on its ability to identify, deter, protect against, detect, and respond to attacks. The plan has 10 sections written into the document that include, to name a few, improving sharing of threat information, modernizing the government's cybersecurity, and establishing a Cybersecurity Review Board.

Examples

On March 21, 2021, the CNA was attacked with a ransomware attack, which caused the company to have no control over its network. CNA Financial Corporation is one of the largest insurance companies based in the United States. It offers cyber insurance to its customers. This attack caused the organization to lose access to online services and business operations. Thus, the CNA had to pay 40 million dollars to regain control of its network. At first, the CNA decided to ignore the hackers by trying to solve the problem independently, but they could not find a way, so they surrendered money to the group within a week.  The group responsible for this attack is called Evil Corp. They used a new type of malware called Phoenix CrytoLocker. The new malware encrypted 15,000 devices on the network and employees working remotely while logged into the company's VPN during the attack. The FBI strongly discourages companies from paying ransomware because it encourages more attacks in the future, and data might not get returned.

On May 7, 2021, the Colonial Pipeline was hit with a cyberattack that disrupted oil distribution. The Colonial Pipeline is a pipeline that controls almost half (45%) of the oil that runs through the East Coast of the United States. This attack caused the company to turn off the pipeline, which it had never done before. Thus, many people panicked buying gasoline at gas stations, and the government thought this attack would quickly spread. Ultimately, the Colonial Pipeline paid nearly an amount of 5 million dollars worth of cryptocurrency. Even though the Colonial paid all the money, the system did not turn on as rapidly as it used to. The hacker accused of this attack is a group called DarkSide. The money that the Colonial paid went to DarkSide, but there are other entities involved as well. For now, DarkSide has decided to discontinue its operations.

On May 30, 2021, JBS was exposed to a cyberattack of ransomware which delayed the plant's meat production. JBS is the world's largest meat producer that provides meat-related products for people. This attack caused the shutdown of all nine beef factories in the United States and disrupted poultry and pork production. In addition, labor had to be cut due to the closings of the factories, and the cost of meat increased due to no meat being produced. Ultimately, JBS had to pay 11 million dollars worth of cryptocurrency to regain control. A group called REvil was responsible for the attack. REvil is a group based in the country of Russia that is also one of the most productive ransomware organizations.

In early December 2021 it was reported least nine U.S State Department had their phones hacked by an unknown attacker. All nine employees had Apple Iphones. The hack, which took place over several months, was done through the use of iMessages that had a software attached that when sent without needing to be interacted with the user installed spyware known as Pegasus. The software used was developed and sold by an Israel-based spyware development company named NSO Group.

In December 2021 at least five US defense and tech firms have been hacked by a group operating from China. The group took advantage of an exploit used in these organization's software to conduct their campaign which came to light in recent months. The target of these breaches were passwords as well as having the goal of intercepting private communications. As of right now the extent of the damage is unclear as the breaches are ongoing.

International Institutions

Both Europol and Interpol specialize in operations against cyberterrorism as they both collaborate on different operations together and host a yearly joint cybercrime conference. While they both fight against cybercrime, both institutions operate differently. Europol sets up and coordinates cross-border operations against cybercriminals in the EU, while Interpol helps law enforcement and coordinates operations against cyber criminals globally.

Estonia and NATO

Quick information on the cyber attack on Estonia and its effects on the country.

• Online services of Estoninan banks and government services were taken down by uncontrollable high level of internet traffic
• Media outlets were also down and so broadcasters could not deliver the news of the cyber attacks
• Some of the services were under attack for 22 days, while other online services were taken down comlpety
• Riots and Looting went on for 48 hours in Tallinn, Estonia
• The cyber attack served as a wake up call to Estonia and for the entire world on the importance of cyber defence.

As cyberattacks continue to increase around the world, countries still look at the attacks on Estonia in the 2007 as an example of how countries can fight future cyberattacks and terrorism. As a result of the attacks, Estonia is now is currently one of the top countires in cyber defence and online safety and its capital city of Tallinn is home to NATO’s cyber defense hub. The government of Estonia continues to update there cyber defence protocols and national cybersecurity strategies. NATO’s Coopeative Cyber Defence Centre in Tallinn also conducts research and training on cyber security to not just help Estonia but other countries that are in the alliance.

Conventions

• 2014: Protocol to Amend the Convention on Offences and Certain Acts Committed on Board Aircraft

References

https://www.kratikal.com/blog/cyber-security-for-critical-infrastructure-challenges-and-solutions/?utm_source=Blog&utm_medium=Kratikal+Blog&utm_campaign=The+Current+State+of+Cyber+Security+in+India

https://www.techinasia.com/china-cyber-blue-team

https://www.kratikal.com/blog/the-current-state-of-cyber-security-in-india/

https://www.business-standard.com/article/technology/at-rs-24-5-crore-ransomware-data-recovery-cost-triples-in-india-121060100574_1.html

https://www.thehindubusinessline.com/info-tech/india-will-require-70k-cyber-experts-this-year-alone-xpheno/article34547344.ece

https://thediplomat.com/2018/07/how-good-are-chinas-cyber-defenses/

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2013/mar/20/south-korea-under-cyber-attack

https://www.securityinfowatch.com/critical-infrastructure/article/21242385/the-insidious-north-korean-hacking-threat