Most would agree that globalisation, fed by technological advances in the information system and telecommunications realms, has overwhelmingly been a ‘good thing’. Our world is connected like never before, and those formerly isolated are now part of the landscape, able to access critical medical information, tap educational resources and answer almost any question in two clicks.  

Unfortunately, terrorists are similarly thrilled with globalisation. They, too, can answer any question in two clicks, including how to build a PETN bomb like the one that nearly exploded on an airliner over Detroit on Christmas Day. They use Google Earth to indentify targets and landmarks, as shown in an Al Qaeda terrorist attack against a U.S. military recruitment offce last year.  Somali terrorists used Facebook pages to liaise with recruits in Minneapolis, and rebels on the battlefeld have satellite phones and use Twitter to communicate.

In fact, terrorists are now able to directly engage you through your home computer or your child through his/ her web enabled device to spread their radical ideology.

The enemy defined
The most widely accepted defnition of terrorism is the unlawful use of force or violence against persons or property to intimidate or coerce a government and the civilian population in furtherance of political, social or religious objectives. A terrorist is one who causes fear and seeks to dominate or coerce. Terrorists can work in large groups, small cells, or as lone wolves.

Terrorists have always employed asymmetric tactics to achieve their goals; they often strike in unanticipated R ways to maximise results. Never has asymmetric warfare been more prevalent than in the last decade - from the use of airplanes as missiles on 9/11 in the United States, to the seaborne staged attack on Mumbai in 2008.

It is important to understand that religious terrorists are the most dangerous. Not only do they disregard the rule of law, they have no moral restraint, believing their faith imparts authority to kill innocent victims in extraordinary ways. They use all means to advance their agenda. The religious ideology is not confned to nation state boundaries, making it harder to engage and penetrate. Finally, religious terrorists have an apocalyptic agenda, which could ultimately lead to the employment of a weapon of mass destruction.

At its very core, terrorism is nothing but an elaborate marketing campaign. The main product is fear; however, by-products include recruitment, empathy seeking and fund raising. Like all marketing operations, terrorism is meant to shift the public centre of gravity through use of symbolism or themes, and their techniques can be overt or covert. We must also remember this is a long campaign; the enemy is patient and thinks in terms of millennia, not years. Our children’s children may be struggling with the same issues we are today.

Shifting tactics
Bruce Hoffman, a noted terrorism expert, believes Al-Qaeda (and its affliates) is increasingly focused on overwhelming, distracting and exhausting us. We may have defused the bomb in the airline on Christmas Day, but are we going to survive the fnancial destruction the enemy is trying to bring about in a long, protracted war? Terrorists are fronting threats that may not exist (such as suitcase nuclear bombs), which force us to spend billions on countermeasures and incite fear in the populace.

Similarly, rather than engaging in standard cyber warfare by deliberately targeting our systems to deny service, terrorists appear instead to be leveraging technology to wage societal warfare.

My first task in the morning is to scan 22 websites in an open source intelligence collection activity that supports my university teaching and journal writing efforts. In the spirit of ‘know thy enemy’, an axiom of the Great War strategist Sun Tzu, I also access various Jihadi sites and the pages of domestic and ethno-separatist terror groups.  Often it is just the same rhetoric, but I have sensed a shift from outright violent threats to a more subtle, understated threat.

For instance, seemingly benign, friendly organisations are using webcasts to facilitate understanding and discussion of the Muslim religion. Having joined telecasts (anonymously), I fnd that such sessions are not moderated by respected clerics, but by radical Imams or even worse, those who believe they have special dispensation to interpret the Koran in ways not accepted by the mainstream religious body.

Also, groups such as Hamas and Hezbollah are masters at using the web to achieve social objectives and goals for their communities. They use foundations, with ever changing names and websites, to raise funds for widows and those orphaned by their operations, and also seek donations to build schools and hospitals. Naturally this community building activity creates good will (and safe harbour) and furthers recruiting goals. Many citizens have donated money without realising it is funding activities of internationally designated terrorist groups.

There are many other ways terrorists are infltrating society through the cyber realm – by using the web for blogging, by posting videos on You Tube, by interacting in virtual worlds, the list goes on.

Troubled waters
A few contributing factors led to the use of cyberspace for societal warfare:

Cyberspace is virtually “un-patrol able”. We have a weak set of international laws, and no overarching governing body for enforcement.

Sovereign nations that believe in freedom of speech and expression may monitor the web through their agencies, but do not actively infltrate and disable sites.

In the rush to get cutting edge products to the market, no-one refected on how technology could be exploited by, what I call, “the 1%” – terrorists and criminals. On many fronts in this ‘war’, we’ve greatly underestimated the sophistication of terrorists. Not only do they use the same technology that we do on a daily basis, their financial assets may be growing exponentially. It has recently come to light in the counterterrorism community that groups like Al Qaeda are now engaged in the narcotics trade in South America and the Western Coast of Africa. This will provide them access to large sums of money – the kind needed to get the right people on the payroll such as scientists, engineers and technical experts.

Therefore, we’ve created an environment that is conducive for infltration by terrorists who are sophisticated, have vast resources and are patient. As such, the following assumptions must be made:

1. New applications will be exploited.
2. Every technological solution will be defeated.
3. Your operations will be targeted using system probes or by information collected from your employees.

This can be very disheartening – or very enlightening. Just understanding the enemy will go a long way toward protecting our infrastructure. During my military career, knowing the enemy was a critical part of every endeavour. I worked on various application development projects and never developed a product or fielded a new piece of equipment without the ‘enemy’ in mind. From initial brainstorming sessions to every stage of development, we ‘baked in’ countermeasures. And similar to for-proft companies, we were also in a rush to feld technology since our soldier’s lives and our nation’s defence were at stake. By acknowledging the existence of an enemy, and keeping him in mind on every step, you may prevent your product from being used for destructive outcomes.

Which way now?
I am neither an IT or cyber warfare expert, but I know the mind of a terrorist. I understand how terrorist groups seek to turn the switch from ‘off’ to ‘on’ in the human brain and recruit those who will carry out the most heinous of missions, sacrifcing their own lives in the process.  The radical militant ideology is like poison to the mind, especially to the hopeless and down trodden who would rather die in a spectacular blast than as a hungry beggar.

Using cyberspace as a medium for conducting societal warfare in your community and mine, is a new front. We must engage in this war on terror. And being aware of its existence is a great step.


Jenni Hesterman is a retired Air Force colonel. She is a senior analyst for The MASY Group, a Global Intelligence and Risk Management firm, and is a full professor at American Military University and contributing editor to The Counter Terrorist magazine. Access her blog at www.counterterrorforum.com