Struggling with terrorism and the internet: towards a definition of cyberterrorism

Abstract

The Internet growth not only has boosted countless advantages and possibilities, but also the rise of the so-called “cyberthreats”. One of them, “cyberterrorism”, is analysed on the following pages. This paper aims to provide an own definition of cyberterrorism which may be suitable from a general international law perspective. An inductive structure is employed to achieve it. Firstly, a definition of international terrorism is provided after having synthesised some of the most relevant insights regarding this nomenclature. Afterwards, once the significance of the Internet within current international terrorism is delineated, the sought cyberterrorism definition is presented. With regard to it, we adhere to a pure cyberterrorism definition since it helps to distinguish this cyberthreat from others which are usually confused with, such as “the use of the Internet for terrorist purposes” and “hacktivism”. Finally, before expounding the conclusions, the likelihood of cyberterorism striking shortly and its considerations as a real threat are assessed.