Islamic State (ISIS) terrorists are becoming more cyber-savvy than ever, experts warn, showing surprisingly sophisticated capability at recruiting young computer mavens to their cause, hacking into worldwide websites and posing a serious threat to Western emergency systems, utilities, communications, and transportation systems.
A "cyberattack" on the U.S. "launched by foreign hackers…could cripple the country by taking down the power grid, water infrastructure, transportation networks and the financial system," warn Mitchell Silber, former director of intelligence analysis for the New York Police Department, and Daniel Garrie, of the Journal of Law and Cyber Enforcement,
writing in The Wall Street Journal.
"In a major U.S. city, a combined physical and cyber terrorist attack could result in hundreds wounded and killed. It could also impair first responders’ ability to get to the scene of the attack, and the ability of local government to communicate with the city’s population in a chaotic and confusing environment," the pair wrote.
Already, an ISIS group called CyberCaliphate has taken over the French TV network TV5 Monde for 24 hours and invaded the Twitter accounts of the U.S. Central Military Command (Centcom), posting the chilling messages, "American soldiers, we are coming. Watch your back," and "We broke into your networks and personal devices and know everything about you. You'll see no mercy, infidels. ISIS is already here. We are in your PCs, in each military base,"
the Canadian Broadcasting Corp. (CBC) reported.
Three years after Congress mandated the development of a cyber-protected national public safety broadband network, it is still not up and running, Garrie and Silber wrote.
"To successfully prevent future attacks, whether cyber-enhanced terrorism or otherwise, federal and local authorities in likely urban targets will need to increase their cyber situational awareness, preparedness and resilience," the Journal reported.
In 2012, teenager Junaid Hussain hacked into former British Prime Minister Tony Blair's address book and was jailed for six months,
International Business Times reports.
Today, he is believed to be in Syria, the head of CyberCaliphate, and an example of the young technically adept members ISIS is focusing on recruiting. It is believed that these "computer nerds" are helping ISIS secure their own computer networks and launch hacking raids into bank accounts worldwide to amass money to finance ISIS's goals.
"[ISIS'] leaders’ enthusiasm for medieval barbarity is matched by an equally fervent embrace of modern technology," IBT notes.
Gabriella Blum, co-author of
"The Future of Violence: Robots and Germs, Hackers and Drones," told The Guardian, "Capability and access to materials and know-how is growing rapidly. This is bound to affect the incidence and magnitude of attacks that will utilize new technologies."
"ISIS has drawn in elite hackers, a group that often thrives on a challenge," The Guardian commented. "Far too little is being done to analyze and prepare for the threat by governments or the companies that run our power and our water, our transport, our banks."
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