Anticipating the Nature and Likelihood of a Cyberterror Community, Max Kilger, University of Texas

Abstract:
The online environment in its relatively short history has shown a proclivity towards the formation of complex, digitally connected communities of individuals focused upon shared ontologies and objectives. The first epoch saw the formation and rise of the hacking community where its members were motivated by the pursuit of acquiring technical knowledge of digital systems. The second online epoch we are currently witnessing is an era where a diaspora of criminal actors are coalescing to form a large and formidable cybercrime community. As cyberterrorism becomes a more salient threat, the question of whether this is the early beginnings of a third epoch marked by the formation of a nascent cyberterror community becomes one of importance to critical infrastructure protection and national security. This article discusses some of the social dynamics and motivations shared by these communities as they relate to the nature and likelihood of the emergence of a global cyberterror community.