Publication

This report by the United States Institute of Peace examines the reality of the cyberterrorism threat. It begins by outlining why the fear of cyberterrorism has gripped so many people, and defines what qualifies as cyberterrorism and what is just pure hacking or "hactivism" (hacking by political activists). The author concludes that the threat of cyberterrorism has been exaggerated and manipulated, and that no single incident of real cyberterrorism has been reported. Nevertheless, the threat can not be denied or ignored, and the author remarks that, paradoxically, success in the "war on terror" is likely to make terrorists turn increasingly to unconventional weapons such as cyberterrorism.