CYBER TERRORISM CONVERGENCE ®

Submitted by HEDI ENGHELBERG (United States), Jun 26, 2009 at 14:19

http://www.ireport.com/docs/DOC-283598

Briefing on Cyber Terrorism No. 1012

NEW CONCEPT: CYBER TERRORISM CONVERGENCE ®

Cyber terrorism convergence it's a new trend in the worldwide terrorist activities. Due to the nature of the digital media, they are using now the entire spectrum, in means of technology, hardware and software. One device, for example, like a smart phone, or a laptop can collect, generate files of sound, images, film and transmit them over (via radio waves) Internet, to be posted on a web site , as files or messages on social networks (see www.twitter.com).

Using convergence, the terrorist are melting and interlocking all the resources of computers, information technology, digital media, telecom, LAN, WIFI, publishing & editing software into generating content that will be broadcasted via Internet. This content or pocket of information as then retransmitted, for free by the media outlets, via newspapers, magazines, radio, television, web based news outlet, transformed into a certain type* of news and entertainment. Certain Type refers to the nature of damage it produces in the public option view, even if the military value is close to nothing.

Standard Example: the June 2009 message of the President Obama and his speech to the Muslim World, from Cairo University coincided with the near perfect timing of Osama bin Laden message, from an obscure cave in the Pakistan/Afghanistan border. If this message (unpolished and with poor audio quality), published somewhere in Internet, have not been broadcasted (for free and at a precise time) by satellite news network Al Jazeera and rebroadcasted by the rest of the news network, translates, interpreted, re transmitted, discussed, it will just faded way in the immense electronic traffic generated by Internet.

The trend (electronic media convergence) is dominated by:

• Hardware on one side, like super smart devices, phones and laptops.

• Internet access on the other hand, via telecom, Wi-Fi and Wimax, This complex process is complimented by media researched, (data mining), Internet based software, social networking, targeted media (object-based media).

CYBER TERRORISM MARKETING ®

Now, new tactics are in place, as ideas and technology melt, and we are talking about CYBER TERRORISM MARKETING ® and TERRORISM MARKETING ® more than a direct terrorism attack.

ONE HAS TO APPLY GLOBAL STRATEGIES AND ENHANCES TACTICAL PROCEDURES TO FIGHTS THESE TRENDS AND PRECISION DELIVERY WEAPON OF THIS ASYMMETRIC TYPE OF WAR, WHICH IS CYBER TERRORISM. The terrorist's networks (+ its associates) are now savvy marketing specialists with professional knowledge in psychology. They are technology experts, mass media projectors and future analyst. The object of terrorist analyze is behavior, perception, conversational marketing, body language, responsive environment, future emotion presumes, mass media mixes and cocktails, multi-sensory marketing, new flavors of sub-conscious advertise.

Banking is already a feature on a smart device. In a short time even credit card transactions over VoIP prone lines will be possible, so a full spectrum of services will be available from a smart phone, the center of convergence.

Al Qaeda as a doctrine. Al Qaeda is now (has transformed and evolved into) a doctrine, more than a cohered and effective fighting force, as communism doctrine was during the Cold War, and it have to be engaged in this very strategic level. One of the fuels that feed terrorism and extremism is the continuing coverage of the Western and Arab media of the Al Qaeda type (franchise) discourse.

They (Western media) provide a wide platform the broadcasting of this doctrine, the largest one in the history of mankind. With this kind of wide broadcasting, every message, every argument, every speech is heard and received everywhere, and stored, for replays and references. Al Qaeda is transforming into a symbol and it's a franchised model to be adapted and (always) improved, with new technologies as cyber terrorism (an asymmetric war weapon) where marketing and technology convergence is a much needed and desired broadcasting tool.

MAJOR NEW OUTLETS SELF CENSURE OF THE TERRORISM COVERAGE HAVE TO BE FACTORED IN. The media are careering out the terrorist agenda and propaganda. As "loose lips sinks ships", as well loose media coverage of terrorist proclamations serves the very purpose of the proclamation: to be proclaimed and broadcasted. If no news about Al Qaeda & Co. will be broadcasted, then the state agencies and institutions can better handle the terrorism flagella. This is not limiting the free speech, but merely a tactic and strategy in this asymmetric war: cyber terrorism.

Cyber terrorism works on 2 main fronts:

• The economical front, trying to mine and undermine the economical life of the opponent, causing disruptions in the economical, social and in some cases, even military operations.

• The propaganda front, using Internet as a platform to spread propaganda, doctrines of hate, provide training manuals, arguments and information and a tool to reach people and groups all over the world.

THE TERRORISTS KNOW THAT IS EASIER TO REINFORCE A PERCEPTION THAN CREATE A NEW ONE and they use the mass media and convergence to this end. Al Qaeda opened the way with the explosive and deadly demonstration of 9/11. It provided in the 90' and early 2000' the structure and the doctrine for the fighting against the infidels. It may fade away, but new flavors will emerge, and the technology convergence will be the platform to spread away the new doctrines and schools of thoughts.

Final note: The Cyber Terrorism it's a form/type of asymmetric war, using media convergence. Given the difficulty of monitoring, tracing and forensic analyze of the telecom, digitals VoIP, social sites and communications in Internet (read cyber space and networks) we want to make the strong case that the actual web space/internet (with all its marketing tools, telecom and media) are an essential and sine-qua-non tool for extremists and terrorists worldwide.

By Hedi Enghelberg |

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