Adaptive Responses to Cyberterrorism

Chapter Overview

This chapter explores the conceptual and practical bounds of responses to cyberterrorism, and proposes a model of agile mechanisms for adaptive responses. We propose a methodological approach starting from a taxonomy of responses, based on familiar taxonomies of attacks and threats, and an emerging (socially constructed) understanding of cyberterrorism. We elaborate on two “aligning ideas” for the spectrum of responses—aligning by the type of response (related to its nature) and time-span (aligning responses before, during and after attacks). The approach aims for a holistic policy for countering cyberterrorism, noting that cyberterrorism policy (derived from cyber security policy) points to possible gaps and overlaps of policy literature on counter terrorism. Connecting conceptual and practical responses suggests a “layered” approach ranging from individual level to organizational to national or international responses. We also argue for agile capabilities for a spectrum of responses. Cyberspace is a swiftly evolving environment where protagonists continuously innovate to penetrate, exploit or attack systems. Learning lessons from past incidents is insufficient preparation for unknown futures and threats. Cyberspace is a cyclical competition where both sides learn and adapt, calling for a dynamic model for cyber counter terrorism responses. The proposed model portrays a value-stream from intelligence in cyberspace to cyber-forensics leading to a value chain of preventive and reactive responses. In this model, the effectiveness of deterrence as a measure against cyberterrorism is questioned. A holistic view of responses pulls together various relevant disciplines, e.g., risk management, business continuity, futures studies and scenario planning, red teaming, and operational knowledge management. It calls for investment in education and research by the triad of academia, industry and governments, to create a “cyber security ecosystem.”