Friday, October 12, 2007

Cyberterrorism... Can it happen to you or me?

What is Cyberterrorism? Cyberterrorism is the convergence of terrorism and cyberspace. It is generally understood to mean unlawful attacks and threats of attack against computers, networks, and the information stored therein when done to intimidate or coerce a government or its people in furtherance of political or social objectives. (http://www.cs.georgetown.edu/~denning/infosec/cyberterror.html)

There are offshoots of Cyberterrorism which includes cyberstalking, in which the victim is a target of one of the following: Malice - Premeditation - Repetition - Distress - Obsession - Vendetta - No Legitimate Purpose - Personally Directed - Disregarded Warnings to Stop - Harassment - Threats (http://www.wiredsafety.org/cyberstalking_harassment/definition.html). You can learn more about the types of cyberstalkers by visiting http://www.wiredsafety.org/cyberstalking_harassment/stalker.html. This is also
a form of Cyberharassment, which is the adult for of Cyberbullying. It is a Crime!

I am currently being a victimized. I am closely following steps I have learned in my bit of research. If you do experience this in any form, you need to tell the person who sent you the threats to stop. It is a crime and you do need to report this along with documentation of evidence to authorities. You need to also keep friends, loved ones, family, and co-workers in the loop. You need to share with them when you receive threats, but also they need to know where you are or where you are going. You need to keep folks in the loop, if something does happen.

I work in an educational environment. And events that have taken place in the past year in the United States have made institutions take threats of cyberharassment very seriously. My institution actually hired a full time police officer who is dedicated to events of cyberharassment, but my hr, local security, along with IT Security does have a knowledge. I guess you can say they are cybersensitive now, which I am greatful for.

If you are victimized do not waver if you get a bad feeling. Call local authorites and report the event to people close to you, because it does not work to ignore these events. You need to say stop and then contact the authorities. They are there to help you and to protect you.

If I learn more I will share, if you know more, share.

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