CYBER SCAPE AFRICA | Q2
2019
Why we need to Counter- Cyber Terrorism
As the number of internet users increases,
more government services move online, the
Internet of Things expands, and we become
more interconnected: cyber terrorism will
become a graver concern as criminals will find
ways of attacking our infrastructure for
financial gains, to spread their ideology,
spread fear and attempt to influence political
changes. As such, cyber security must be a
priority for both the private and public sector
given financial, military, health and political
challenges that might arise from cyber attacks
and cyber terrorism.
Virtual
Combat
Fighting Terrorists in the Cyberspace
Obstacles in Countering Cyber Terrorism
The Christchurch terrorist attack in New Zealand
as broadcasted on Facebook echoed what counter
terrorism experts have been saying all along- both
Islamic movements and white power movements
strongly rely on the internet to spread their
ideology. Tech and internet companies must work
with law enforcement agencies to mitigate the
threat that has gone global. Raising awareness on
cyber terrorism is an effective tool of countering
the both groups (white power and Islamist) who
share a lot of similarities to ensure everyone’s
cooperation in the fight.
Mayssa Zerzri in The Threat of Cyber Terrorism
and Recommendations for Countermeasures
defines cyber terrorism as the convergence of
terrorism and the cyberspace whereby activities
carried out through cyberspace are directly
influenced by terrorist movements or leaders with
the aim of achieving political or ideological
changes using physical or psychological violence
that has far reaching effects. There are two main
types of cyber terrorism- hybrid and pure cyber
terrorism, neither if which are a new phenomenon
in Kenya. Freedom of expression, freedom to
information, political stability, modern
telecommunication infrastructure, vast mobile
phone penetration and fast internet connection
capitalist ideals make Kenyan internet users
vulnerable to cyber terrorism from al Shabaab, the
Islamic state and other radical groups that are
active on the internet.
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• The democratic dilemma whereby citizens
have freedom to express themselves and
get access to information without
censorship which can be easily misused.
• Terrorist shift to use of encrypted channels
due to increased surveillance by law
enforcement on social media platforms
and dark net.
• Vague understanding of the cybercrime
law and politicization in the public domain
and little implementation as it is new.
• Double standards- Kenyans were at the
forefront of criticizing the New York Times
after they shared photos of victims of the
14 Riverside Drive attack. However, some
Kenyans shared the footage from New
Zealand’s terrorist attack in Christchurch!
• Internet and tech companies’ main
business is not counter terrorism thus
those doing terrorist related surveillance
work are often undertrained and
underpaid.