Forensics Journal - Stevenson University 2015 | Page 21

FORENSICS JOURNAL

Terrorism in Cyberspace: Is the U.S.
Ready for a Virtual 9/11?
Kera N. Valenti
attacks-even as their attackers sleep, snack, celebrate, and scheme”
(Gewirt, 2013, p. 9).

U.S. ON THE BRINK OF A NEW WAR
In the aftermath of the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks,
physical security measures aimed at protecting the nation’s critical
infrastructure increased exponentially. The Department of Homeland
Security emerged, the Transportation Security Administration
appeared in airports, pilots were afforded the opportunity to carry
loaded guns on their flights, barriers were erected around government
compounds, and increased police presence became the norm. It took
an event as devastating as September 11th to bring about the physical
security adjustments necessary to protect against another physical
attack. Over a decade later, with the country’s critical infrastructure
running their operations in cyberspace, is the United States focusing
enough attention on cybersecurity to prevent a virtual version of the
2001 terrorist attacks?

While a cyber attack may not annihilate thousands of people at once,
it could cause mass hysteria and a sense of helplessness—both goals
of terrorism. What might a modern cyber terrorist attack look like?
A terrorist located in Iran notes that a blizzard and subzero
temperatures are forecasted to envelop the Midwestern United States
in January 2015. By hacking into vulnerable computer systems and
using them collectively to deploy distributed denial of service attacks,
multiple electrical supply stations would be affected by information
overload thus causing them to crash. An entire region would be
without power, phones, and heat. Local businesses would shut
down. If the attacker completely destroys the technology running
those stations, an extended amount of time would elapse until
normal operations resumed. At that point, the economy would
suffer detrimental consequences and would require an extensive
road to recovery. Many Americans would go through a period
of hopelessness and would have a heightened sense of fear of
future attacks.

September 11th, in concert with other terrorist attacks on American
soil, demonstrated that the physical threat against the United States
is real and powerful. Thousands of lives have been sacrificed, the
economy altered, and morale devastated all in the name of terrorism.
The effects of these attacks are seen and shared in real time. They are
shocking, overwhelming, and almost incomprehensible as they replay
across televisions, smartphones and computer screens. The critical
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