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26 – 28 September 2014
GA-‐1: Disarmament and International Security Committee
Study Guide
Agenda Item: Development in the field of information and telecommunication systems in context of international security
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1. Letter from SG
Most distinguished delegates of Disarmament and International Security Committee of
United Nations General Assembly,
It is great privileged and a pleasure to welcome you to the first annual session of
ITUMUN’14 with this committee.
My name is Ezgi Çetin and I am 3rd grade bachelor student in Management Engineering.
Upon graduation from Deutsche Schule Istanbul with years of MUN memories, now I am
serving as the founder and the leader of ITUMUN Society at Istanbul Technical
University.
Having considered lots of various topic suggestions, we set the theme of the conference as
“the effects of advancing technology and science on life standards, international security
and peace” which includes a variety of subtitles to be scrutinized through the contributions
of delegates who will each bring their distinctive modes of thinking into the debate.
I am sure that under the guidance of our most esteemed Under Secretary General Sera
Zafer, Naz Parıldak and their Academic Assistant Orhun Canca, participants will not only
enhance your knowledge on the discussed topics through study guides and fruitful
debates, but also ameliorate their public speaking skills. I owe Ms. Zafer, Ms. Parıldak
and Mr. Canca gratitude for all of their great effort in preparing of this amazing work
which will guide you through the whole conference.
Furthermore I hope we will get a great resolution after your hard work approaching topics
from various points of view and finding compromises through communication and
persuasion.
I sincerely hope to meet you all at ITUMUN’14,
With warmest wishes,
Secretary General of ITUMUN’14
Ezgi ÇETİN
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2. Letter from USG
Dear Prospective Participants,
We as the responsible Under Secretary Generals of the Disarmament and International Security
Committee (GA-1) would like to welcome you all to the very first session of ITUMUN 2014. My
name is Sera Zafer and I am a senior at Bilkent University Faculty of Law. This year along with
my friend Naz Parıldak I will be serving as one of the Under Secretary General in ITUMUN 2014.
And my name is Naz Parıldak and I am a senior student at Hacettepe University studying English
Literature.
This year Disarmament and International Security Committee will be discussing the developments
in the field of information and telecommunication systems in the context of international security.
The committee will be dealing with an issue that has developed through the advancement of
technology and the ability to communicate through virtual means, whether in a negative or
positive manner. It is important to have knowledge upon the virtual threats that awaits the
international arena.
We would also like to thank our Academic Assistant Orhun Canca who helped us through the
writing process and whose contribution was invaluable to us.
If you have any questions or concerns please do not hesitate to contact, we would be more than
delighted to answer your questions.
We are looking forward to seeing you all in ITUMUN 2014, good luck!
Best Regards,
Sera Zafer & Naz Parıldak
Under Secretary General
ITUMUN 2014
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3. Disarmament and International Security Committee (DISEC)
Disarmament and International Security Committee(DISEC) of United Nations is the first of the six
Main Committees in General Assembly when UN Charter was signed in 1945 and works as a
consultant committee to United Nations Security Council, holds its main issue as global
disarmament and international security across borders, aiming to obtain stabilized regions around
world and prevent universal threats caused by political clashes. As UN mentions, DISEC “deals
with disarmament, global challenges and threats to peace that affect the international community
and seeks out solutions to the challenges in the international security regime”. Aside from its role in
the General Assembly, DISEC is also an institution of the United Nations Office for Disarmament
Affairs (UNODA), formally named in January 1998. The UNODA is concerned with disarmament
at all levels of nuclear weapons, weapons of mass destruction and conventional weapons- and
assists DISEC through its work conducted in the General Assembly.
DISEC with its extended amount of 192 members is a crucial platform for questions regarding
peace and security among international community. Previously, most of the United Nations
conventions on the armament and on the use of weapons were originated in DISEC, thus it has a
major influence in the worldwide politics. Ratification of The Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty in
1968, creation of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), the suggestion of United
StatesPresident Eisenhower to the General Assembly to facilitate the safe development of nuclear
technology, 1972 Biological Weapons Convention (BWC) which prohibits biological and toxin
weapons, Comprehensive Nuclear Test-Ban Treaty (CTBT) can be listed as the main conventions
of United Nations which were created in DISEC.
Contemporarily, DISEC is focused on diversified and complex security issues within advanced new
technologies such as new telecommunication and information systems. Radiological terrorism,
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reduction in the military budgets, nuclear weapon-free zones in Africa, Latin America, protection of
non-nuclear weapon states against nuclear weapons, roles of science and technology in international
security can be mentioned as the current topics of First Committee meetings. As humankind
gradually invents new technologies, questions regarding peace and security cannot be perished,
means DISEC will continue to be a key figure in the international security arena. Nuclear weapon
threats, information wars through satellites and disarmament among member states, exile to be its
resolutions’ main themes.
4. Introduction
As technology gradually advances in 21st Century, the nations are able to build complex tracing
systems -such as highly advanced satellites-, set up wiretapping centres, control location services
over internet and mobile phones and have a chance to use any kind of information with varying
political intentions. Censorship and mass media centralization are other issues concerning
mentioned information systems and they can be highly influential in the political arena.
International information security regards any kind of multilateral conventions to protect nations’
unique databases, confidential resources, special documents, records of important meetings,
demographical statistics and other kinds of inviolable information covered under national
sovereignty.
The issue of information security is on the United Nations agenda since the Russian Federation
introduced a draft resolution in 1998 on the subject of DISEC and it was accepted without a vote in
General Assembly Resolution 53/70. Since then there have been multiple works done in the
context of secure international information and a Group of Governmental Experts (GGE) was
gathered. As UN states “there have been three Groups of Governmental Experts (GGE) that have
examined the existing and potential threats from the cyber-sphere and possible cooperative
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measures to address them”. First successful GGE report was issued in 2010 (A/65/201). Between
2004 and 2010 two GGE group were established and focused on issues such as information content,
information infrastructures, and control over trans-border information content.
The report of the 2009/2010 GGE was recommending:
• Dialogue on norms for State use of information and Communications Technologies (ICTs), to
reduce risk and protect critical infrastructures;
• Confidence-building and risk reduction measures, including discussion of ICTs in conflict;
• Information exchanges on national legislation and national ICT security strategies, policies and
technologies;
• Capacity-building in less developed countries;
• The elaboration of common terms and definitions on Information Security.
UNODA provides substantive support to the expert Group and acts as the secretariat assisting in the
preparation of the Group’s reports while DISEC’s emphasize on international information security
holds its significant importance as well as its ongoing precautions against possible threats.
5. Cyberterrorism
• Definition
During the 1980s the term “cyber terrorism” was first explained by Barry Collin as the “transition
from the physical realm to the virtual realm”1 as well as, “the intersection, the convergence of these
two worlds....”2 However, it was further defined by the Center for Strategic and International
Studies (CSIS) as “the use of computer network tools to shut down critical national infrastructures
1 "Definition of Cyberterrorism in English:." Cyberterrorism: Definition of Cyberterrorism in Oxford Dictionary (American English) (US). N.p., n.d. Web. 17 Sept. 2014. 2"Cyberterrorism." What Is ? N.p., n.d. Web. 17 Sept. 2014.
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(e.g., energy, transportation, government operations) or to coerce or intimidate a government or
civilian population.”3
Later on, the definition of cyber terrorism was made by the United States Federal Bureau of
Investigation (FBI) as; “premeditated, politically motivated attack against information, computer
systems, computer programs, and data which results in violence against non-combatant targets by
sub-national groups or clandestine agents.”4
• Background
Although cyber terrorism has a rather short history, this past decade, cyber actions have increased
with the advancement of technology and virtual knowledge.
The first act of cyber terrorism took place in 1988 when a worm attacked the world’s nascent
infrastructure.5 It was called the Morris worm taking its name from its developer Robert Tapan
Morris. Furthermore, in 1996, a computer hacker attacked Massachusetts Internet Service Provider
(ISP) sending racist messages through it, as well as, temporarily damaging and disabling its
functions; the hacker claimed himself to be a part of the White Supremacists Movement.6
Furthermore, in 1999, North Atlantic Treaty Organization’s computers were blasted through e-mails
as a reaction against the bombings by hackers, who also hit the computers with Denial-of-Service
(DoS) attacks.7
In 2000, distributed Denial-of-Service attacks were carried out onto famous websites such as
Yahoo, Amazon, CNN, eBay, eTrade, ZDNet, and Datek. Many people were unable to access the
3"By William L. Tafoya, Ph.D." FBI. FBI, 15 Nov. 2011. Web. 17 Sept. 2014. 4 ibid 5"Cyber Terrorism." : History. N.p., n.d. Web. 17 Sept. 2014. 6 Summer Olmstead And Dr. Ambareen Siraj. Cyberterrorism: The Threat of Virtual Warfare (n.d.): n. pag. Web. 7 ibid
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websites causing financial issues for the websites and loss of sense of security for the public
regarding these sites.8
These past years, many cyber attacks took place on various companies, organizations or people. In
2007, NASA blocked emails with attachments out of fear that the shuttles would be hacked before
launching into space. It was later discovered that latest space launch information of the United
States were obtained by foreign intruders. Moreover, again in 2007, US Foreign Minister’s
unclassified emails were hacked as an act of exploitation of Pentagon’s documents.9
In 2011, Canadian government reported attacks on its agencies which caused Canada’s main
economic agencies to disconnect from the internet. 10
6. Website Defacement
It is one of the most common and extreme visual display of cyber terrorism. Although the aftermath
of a website defacement does not have to be violent, the purpose is intimidation through a social
and/or political aim.11 Such as; pro-Chinese hackers attacking the Japanese websites as a means of
protest against the Japanese Prime Minister’s visit to the Yakasuni Shrine.
Moreover, in 2007, several cyber attacks took place in Estonia, which were directed at the country’s
financial, government and media related websites. Estonia claimed the attacks were carried out by
Russia. In 2008, during the Georgia-Russia conflict, several website defacements too place during
the disagreement between the two countries on South Ossetia.12
However, not every virtual attack is considered to be cyber terror and there are different topics on
this issue. For example, cyber terrorism is an element of information warfare but information
8 ibid 9"Cyber Timeline." NATO Review. NATO, n.d. Web. 17 Sept. 2014. 10 ibid 11 Summer Olmstead And Dr. Ambareen Siraj. Cyberterrorism: The Threat of Virtual Warfare (n.d.): n. pag. Web. 17 Sept. 2014. 12 ibid
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warfare is not cyber terrorism. For these reasons, all the differing components of the subject are
explained under separate titles.
7. Information Warfare
The exact definition of Information warfare (IW) was never made but it was explained by an expert
as follows; “Information warfare consists of offensive and defensive operations against information
resources of a ‘win-lose’ nature. Moreover, IW is further explained by other experts as;
“Information warfare is combat operations in a high-tech battlefield environment in which both
sides use information technology means, equipment, or systems in a rivalry over the power to
obtain, control, and use information.”13
However, IW has variants within itself. Electronic warfare (EW) and Information operations (IO)
are similar to IW but all three are not same or similar to cyber terror. EW is an older military
concept than IW and IO is the contemporary concept of EW. 14
IW, IO and EW are used when military combatants engage with each other during battles but if the
attack is on the major civilian infrastructure then it becomes terrorism, which is cyber terrorism.15
• Electronic Warfare (EW)
The term is defined as; “Military action involving the use of electromagnetic and directed energy to
control the electromagnetic spectrum or to attack the enemy.”16 It is also divided into three parts:
electronic attack, electronic protection and electronic warfare support.
• Electronic Attack (EA)
13 By William L. Tafoya, Ph.D." FBI. FBI, 15 Nov. 2011. Web. 17 Sept. 2014. 14 ibid 15 ibid 16"Electronic Warfare Operations." Electronic Warfare Operations. N.p., n.d. Web. 17 Sept. 2014.
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“The use of electromagnetic energy, directed energy, or antiradiation weapons to attack
personnel, facilities, or equipment with the intent of degrading, neutralizing, or destroying
enemy combat capability”17
• Electronic Protection (EP)
It is the actions that are taken in order to protect personnel, facilities and/or equipment from
the electromagnetic spectrum that degrade, neutralize, or destroy friendly combat
capability.18
• Electronic Warfare Support (ES)
“Division of electronic warfare involving actions tasked by, or under direct control of, an
operational commander to search for, intercept, identify, and locate or localize sources of
intentional and unintentional radiated electromagnetic energy for the purpose of immediate
threat recognition, targeting, planning and conduct of future operations”19
• Information Operations
Information Operations is defined as; “The integrated employment of the core capabilities of
electronic warfare, computer network operations, psychological operations, military deception and
operations security, in concert with specified supporting and related capabilities, to influence,
disrupt, corrupt or usurp adversarial human and automated decision making while protecting its
own”20
17 ibid 18 ibid 19 ibid 20 "What Are Information Operations." What Are Information Operations. N.p., n.d. Web. 17 Sept. 2014.
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8. Groups of Governmental Experts21
The Groups of Governmental Experts (GGE) examine the existing and potential threats in cyber-
sphere and the cooperative measures that could be taken to tackle these threats.
The GGE consists of fifteen members and the first GGE was created in 2004, however, they didn’t
have agreement upon a substantive report. Moreover, GGE had disagreements on two issues; the
impact of developments in information and communications technologies (ICTs) on national
security and military affairs and whether the discussion should address issues of information
content or should focus only on information infrastructures.
Nevertheless, a second GGE was established in 2009 and a successful substantive report came out.
The report consisted of the following recommendations;
• “dialogue on norms for State use of information and communications technologies
(ICTs),
• to reduce risk and protect critical infrastructures;
• confidence-building and risk reduction measures, including discussion of ICTs in
• conflict; June 2013
1. information exchanges on national legislation and national ICT security strategies,
4. policies and technologies;
1) capacity-building in less developed countries;
1) the elaboration of common terms and definitions on Information Security.”22
21"Developments In The Field Of Information And Telecommunications In The Context Of International Security." Fact Sheet Developments In The Field Of Information And Telecommunications In The Context Of International Security (n.d.): n. pag. United Nations. UN Office for Disarmament Affairs. Web. 17 Sept. 2014. 22 ibid
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In 2011, a resolution was unanimously approved by the General Assembly to have a follow-up
group to the second GGE during 2012 and 2013.
9. Legal Framework
Cyber security is considered to be one of the most crucial topics in the framework of international
law. It is important that the civil society can access the internet safely. Moreover, the global digital
network became a milestone in the world economy and a significant new venue for attack.23
However, there is not any global cyber law and cyber security treaty that has been adopted.
Diagram: The paths of cyber security
One of the threatened areas when it comes to cyber security is military. Most of the advanced
militaries throughout the world have cyber attack capabilities as just another mode of attack and
many others are acquiring them.24 According to an United Nations Institute for Disarmament
Research (UNIDIR) report, which was conducted in 2011, out of 133 states 33 states included cyber
warfare in their military planning and organisation.25
The need to take action in this regard dates back to 1990s, however these efforts were not
successful enough. In addition to this, in the same year, the Russian Federation introduced a draft
treaty but a consensus was not reached. Twenty years later, in July 2010 a Group of Governmental
Experts (GGE) convened by the United Nations Secretary-General was able to draft an agreed
report on “Developments in the Field of Information and Telecommunications in the Context of
International Security”. 26
23 Confidence-building and International Agreement in Cybersecurity (n.d.): n. pag. Web. 13 Sept. 2014. 24 ibid 25 ibid 26 ibid
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National legal systems’ stance on cyber security are not consistent. These range from having no
regulation or laws to poor infrastructure. For instance in the European Union legislations
harmonisation between member states are vital, however, in the basis of cyber security this
harmonisation is not as strong as in other fields of international security. Additionally, the
coordination and interaction between the public and private sectors vary significantly. Because
there is no consistent framework in which to set forth the international legal approaches to cyber
security, improved international collaboration, cooperation, and agreement are essential to
achieving cyber security.27
The response of the growing problem with regards to this topic, the European Commission created
the European Cybercrime Centre (EC3) with the 'EU Internal Security Strategy in Action'
(IP/10/1535 and MEMO/10/598), adopted on 22 November 2010 by the Commission.28 The
European Cybercrime Centre is a part of Europol whose mission is to help EU countries’ law
27 Westby, Jody R. "National Legal Approaches." International Guide to Cyber Security. Chicago, IL: American Bar Association Privacy & Computer Crime Committee, Section of Science & Technology Law, 2004. N. pag. Print. 28 "European Cybercrime Centre (EC3) Opens on 11 January." EUROPA. N.p., n.d. Web. 11 Sept. 2014.
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enforcement units. As the Commissioner Malmström stated, "The Cybercrime Centre will give a
strong boost to the EU's capacity to fight cybercrime and defend an internet that is free, open and
secure. Cyber criminals are smart and quick in using new technologies for criminal purposes; the
EC3 will help us become even smarter and quicker to help prevent and fight their crimes"29
At this point, state sovereignty and international norms and principles that flow from sovereignty is
also important when determining general norms and rules that will be applicable on the basis of
cyber security. There has been efforts that are made by various countries that addressed the security
of Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) that suggested the harmonisation of norms
that deals with fundamental rights set forth in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and/or
other international instruments.30 The United Nations Charter, and in general, international law is
applicable in order to preserve peace, security, access and openness in an ICT surrounding. Thus,
there is a need for the Member States to determine the roles in which they would play when
implementing such norms and principles along with the private sector and the civil society
organisations.31
1) International efforts:
1) United Kingdom: In November 2011, hosted an international conference which dealt with
cyberspace security, cybercrime and cyber security in the international arena. The United
Kingdom is an active member of the GGE and a year later announced that they will be funding
£2 million per year in order to set up a centre for global cybersecurity capacity-building. The
Serious Organized Crime Agency continues to lead with international partners on the global
representation of law enforcement issues to the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and
Numbers.
29 ibid 30 "General Assembly." International Organization 17.04 (1963): 926. Web. 13 Sept. 2014. 31 ibid
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2) Ukraine: With the rise of cyber crimes in Ukraine, the Ukrainian laws which are in correlation
with International Organizations for Standardization 15408/Common Criteria for Information
Technology Security Evulation, included provisions stressing the importance of protecting
information and telecommunication. In addition to this, Ukraine is working to secure
international information security stated in the context of bilateral agreements.32
3) United States: There are various acts adopted starting from 1984 in the United States in the
framework of cyber security. Some of the acts are as follow: The Computer Security Act of
1987 gave the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) responsibility for
developing security standards for federal computer systems, except the national security
systems that are used for defense and intelligence missions, and gave responsibility to the
Secretary of Commerce for promulgating security standards, The Federal Information Security
Management Act of 2002, The Cyber Security Research and Development Act of 2002.33
4) China: In 2009 according to a security vendor company Sophos, China was ranked to be in the
third row of spam-producing country around the world.34In this regard, it could be stated that
China’s underground economy was blooming. However today, according to the same company
China is now ranked to be in the 20th place around the world. In the framework of criminal law,
China introduced legislations to prevent such increase and eventually enhance cyber security.
For instance in January 2011, United States and China for the first time worked cooperatively
on a head of state level on the issue of cyber security. “Fighting Spam to Build Trust” is the first
product of talks between Chinese and United States experts convened by EastWest Institute
(EWI).35 EWI brings together Chinese and U.S. experts to propose practical cooperation to
strengthen cybersecurity. Their policy report Fighting Spam to Build Trust was flagged by a
32 ibid 33 Service, Congressional Research. Federal Laws Relating to Cybersecurity: Overview and Discussion of Proposed Revisions (n.d.): n. pag. CRS. Web. 13 Sept. 2014. 34 "Welcome to Network World.com." RSS. N.p., n.d. Web. 17 Sept. 2014. 35 "First China-U.S. Effort to Fight Spam." Activities. N.p., n.d. Web. 17 Sept. 2014.
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New York Times editorial as recommended reading for Presidents Obama and Xi before their
first summit meeting in May 2013.36
10. Contemporary Issues
A. Stuxnet Attacks
Stuxnet is a computer worm that was found in June 2010 which was designed to attack industrial
Programmable Logic Controllers or PLCs. PLCs allow the automation of electromechanical
processes such as those used to control machinery on factory assembly lines, amusement rides, or
centrifuges for separating nuclear material.29 According to the experts Stuxnet depended on a great
effort in its development when compared to others in the malware history. The Guardian, the BBC
and The New York Times all claimed that (unnamed) experts studying Stuxnet believe the
complexity of the code indicates that only a nation-state would have the capabilities to produce it.30
It was claimed through research and expertise that a Western government was actually responsible
from this computer worm. Later, in 2012 as Scheier stated in his speech, it was founded out that the
Natanz nuclear enrichment lab in Iran was responsible.
The historical importance of Stuxnet is the 2009-2010 events occurred in Iran, in which 10% of its
nuclear centrifuges are destroyed by a series of technical problems. (On 23 November 2013
uranium enrichment of Natanz had stopped several times.31 According to Federation of American
Scientists (FAS) the number of enrichment centrifuges in Iran is declined from about 4,700 to 3,900
beginning around the time of the nuclear incident.32 It is believed by most of the Israeli experts that
the source of these unpredicted breakdowns is a computer worm, the Stuxnet.
On 15 February 2011, (ISIS) released a report concluding that:
Assuming Iran exercises caution, Stuxnet is unlikely to destroy more centrifuges at the Natanz
plant. Iran likely cleaned the malware from its control systems. To prevent re-infection, Iran will
36 "Fighting Spam to Build Trust | EastWest Institute." Fighting Spam to Build Trust | EastWest Institute. N.p., n.d. Web. 17 Sept. 2014.
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have to exercise special caution since so many computers in Iran contain Stuxnet.
Although Stuxnet appears to be designed to destroy centrifuges at the Natanz facility, destruction
was by no means total. Moreover, Stuxnet did not lower the production of LEU during 2010. LEU
quantities could have certainly been greater, and Stuxnet could be an important part of the reason
why they did not increase significantly. Nonetheless, there remain important questions about why
Stuxnet destroyed only 1,000 centrifuges. One observation is that it may be harder to destroy
centrifuges by use of cyber attacks than often believed.33
B. Hacktivist Anonymous
In the beginning of 2012, a group who called themselves ´Hacktivist Anonymous´ targeted Interpol,
25 hackers in protest of SOPA and ACTA, protesting for the protection of international property
rights; for they believed that such bills infringe on the openness of the internet, and freedom of
speech. Anonymous even threatened to shut down the Internet.34 (The hundreds of events associated
with Anonymous in different countries can be found in various sources. They had even sending
public messages to world citizens on Youtube.35 The group became a major figure for hactivism in
the manner of human rights, thus is really a significant contemporary society who to influence
international politics.) This wasn´t the first time an organization threatened to be able to shut down
the Internet, operation Global Blackout 2012 sought to shut down the Internet as well. As a protest
against events such as the power of the Wall street crash and actions of irresponsible world leaders.
Is the hacker group, which is called Anonymous, which is said to be the protester of political
clampdowns and the protector of civil rights can be a threat to international security? As Interpol
arrested 25 suspected hackers in the same year, the cyber threat seemed to be serious.36 The group
had also threatened Israel with cyber terrorism.37
C. Operation Aurora
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Operation Aurora was a cyber attack conducted by advanced persistent threats located in Beijing,
China (such as Elderwood Group). First publicly disclosed by Google on January 12, 2010, in a
blog post the attack began in mid-2009 and continued through December 2009.38
The attack has been targeted at multiple other organizations, of which Adobe Systems, Juniper
Networks and Rackspace have confirmed the attacks. Some media reports suggest that Yahoo,
Symantec, Northrop Grumman, Morgan Stanley and Dow Chemical were also among the targets.
In its blog posting, Google stated that some of its intellectual property had been stolen. It suggested
that the attackers were interested in accessing Gmail accounts of Chinese people. According to the
Financial Times, two accounts used by Ai Weiwei, who is a contemporary Chinese artist, had been
attacked, their contents read and copied; his bank accounts were investigated by state security
agents who claimed he was under investigation for "unspecified suspected crimes".39 However, the
attackers were only able to view details on two accounts and those details were limited to things
such as the subject line and the accounts' creation date.40 As an important cyber attack,
Operation Aurora should raise questions about the possible precautions against such threats both in
the national and international context, and should be analyzed within its unique structure to hinder a
new, similar cyber breakdown.
D. WikiLeaks
WikiLeaks is international online platform publishing secret information, news leaks and
confidential material, which are classified from anonymous sources. Its website, initiated in 2006 in
Iceland claimed a database of more than 1.2 million documents within a year of its launch.39 Julian
Assange, an internet activist is generally described as its founder, editor-in-chief, and director who
has been judged in recent years.41
The group has released a number of significant documents, which have become front-page news
items. Early releases included documentation of Afghanistan war and corruption in Kenya.42 In
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April 2010, WikiLeaks published gun sight footage from the 12 July 2007 Baghdad airstrike in
which Iraqi journalists were killed by a helicopter, known as the Collateral Murder video. In July of
the same year, WikiLeaks released Afghan War Diary, includes more than 76,900 documents about
the war in Afghanistan not previously available to the public.43 In October 2010, the group released
a set of almost 400,000 documents called the Iraq War Logs. This allowed the mapping of 109,032
deaths in "significant" attacks by insurgents in Iraq.44 In April 2011, WikiLeaks began publishing
779 secret files relating to prisoners detained in the Guantanamo Bay detention camp.45 Within
this framework, WikiLeaks should be considered as a contemporary dialectic structure in which
both the freedom of information and universal crime exist. Its influence on international relations
and world politics cannot be under estimated, thus, the nations’ strategies, sanctions or laws against
such online movements become very essential in the texture of international security among new
communication and information technologies.
E. Arab Spring
During Arab Spring events Twitter and Facebook was the unofficial and unprecedented center of
civil disobedience where such groups created platforms to ease the mobility and communication
among people. It is believed that without Twitter and Facebook it would be impossible for such
spontaneous rebels to be taken into action especially in Egypt. As Mohammed Bin Moussa from
Mcgill University mentions out: “On 10 February 2010, Wael Ghonim, a prominent figure of
Egypt’s 25 January movement, tweeted ‘mission accomplished. Thanks to all the brave young
Egyptians.’ The message became viral, not only on the micro-blogging and other social media
platforms, but throughout mainstream media outlets. Western media reports were all keen on
highlighting Ghonim’s job as Google executive, and the pivotal role of digital media, from the
Google search engine to social media, in bringing about this ‘happy ending’ to the first ‘Twitter’
and ‘Facebook’ revolutions. Of course the mission was far from accomplished; nearly one year after
Mubarak was forced to step down, Egyptian militants are still trying to keep the flame of the
revolution alive and burning by reoccupying Tahrir Square in Cairo in their pitched battles against
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the military junta running the country. Criticizing the overzealous praise of the role of social media
in the Arab spring, Harvard professor Tarak Barkawi (2011) pointed out that these grotesque claims
smack of euro centricism because they credit the revolutions to ‘western’ technology rather than to
the peoples of Egypt and Tunisia: ‘To listen to the hype about social networking websites and the
Egyptian revolution, one would think it was Silicon Valley and not the Egyptian people who
overthrew Mubarak.’”46
The widespread use of social media and the uncontrollably fast information flow on it proves that
new ICTs of modern world can be a serious threat for international security due to the possible
domination of social media which provides governments and terrorist groups a wider control over
people. Arab spring was an example of how can new communication platforms can be used as
social (even military) tools within political goals.
F. The Use of Proxies
It is important to make sure that a proxy server is used for privacy and security. There are many
users who create a virtual private network (VPN) that creates a connection between websites that
may need encryptions. However before discussing the functions of using proxies there is a need to
understand what a proxy is.
A proxy or a proxy server acts as an hub that connects a computer to an another. Proxies are used
for a number of reasons such as to filter web content, to go around restrictions such as parental
blocks, to screen downloads and uploads and to provide anonymity when surfing the internet.37
Since some of the information sent from a computer to another might be unknown, proxies can be
useful to protect privacy.
37 "What Is a Proxy - What Is My IP ®." What Is My IP. N.p., n.d. Web. 14 Sept. 2014.
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There are two types of proxies:
• Open Proxies: It is the act of forwarding a request made from a computer to anywhere on the
internet. These proxies can be accessible by any users. Thus, there are many open proxies
throughout the internet.
• Reverse Proxies: It is the act of forwarding a request made from a computer back to the server in
an internal network instead of forwarding it to anywhere on the internet. An individual connecting
to a proxy may be unaware that they have accessed to an internal network. By this way, the
original server is somehow concealed. One of the main reasons to use reverse proxies is to access
an encrypted website or bypassing filters and censorship.
There are many ways to detect the presence of proxies. The easiest way is to track down the client’s
actual IP address and to compare the address that the client uses for disguise. Another way is to
examine the HTTP headers received by a server. However, it is usually not very easy to track down
HTTP headers since there can be anonymous HTTPS created for a transparent proxy. At this point,
firewall monitoring becomes extra crucial to prevent such connections.
VIII. Conclusion
Cyber terrorism is the 21st century criminal activity that is effective as a national and
international threat. Thus, investigators of this particular crime technique should be vigilant at all
times and new developments should be closely examined regarding technology and how it will
affect internet related knowledge, information and public activity, as well as statistics on criminal
use of these new developments. Although cyber terror is a relatively new term and a form of crime,
it is widely spread in a short time causing concern among nations, governments and major
government agencies. Thus, this new form of global threat should be closely investigated and
nations should be prepared for every kind of development regarding the cyber-sphere.
22
11. Points a Resolution Should Cover
• How IW, EW and IO Works and methods to recognise them
• Distinguishing cyber terrorism from regular cyber-attacks or cyber crimes
• Enhancing legal obligations and authority on cyber terror, attacks and crimes
• Data sharing policies especially in the context of social networks
• Increasing vigilance of related authorities on fight against cyber terrorism
• Re-examining past actions and finding solutions applicable to related areas
• Giving further information on cyber-sphere, positive and negative sides, attacks, cybercrimes to
the public
• Legal systems can be reviewed so that the abuse of telecommunication and computer systems can
be criminalised
• Investigation of cyber crimes can be enhanced
• Mutual assistance in the means of agreements can be carried out globally
• Possible measures needs to be taken such as bilateral protecting system against cyber attacks
23
12. Bibliography
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"Cyber Terrorism." : History. N.p., n.d. Web. 17 Sept. 2014.
Summer Olmstead And Dr. Ambareen Siraj. Cyberterrorism: The Threat of Virtual Warfare (n.d.):
n. pag. Web.
"Cyber Timeline." NATO Review. NATO, n.d. Web. 17 Sept. 2014.
Summer Olmstead And Dr. Ambareen Siraj. Cyberterrorism: The Threat of Virtual Warfare (n.d.):
n. pag. Web. 17 Sept. 2014.
"By William L. Tafoya, Ph.D." FBI. FBI, 15 Nov. 2011. Web. 17 Sept. 2014.
"What Are Information Operations." What Are Information Operations. N.p., n.d. Web. 17 Sept.
2014.
"Developments In The Field Of Information And Telecommunications In The Context Of
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Telecommunications In The Context Of International Security (n.d.): n. pag. United Nations. UN
Office for Disarmament Affairs. Web. 17 Sept. 2014.
29 S. Karnouskos: Stuxnet Worm Impact on Industrial Cyber-Physical System Security. In:37th
Annual Conference of the IEEE Industrial Electronics Society (IECON 2011), Melbourne,
Australia, 7-10 Nov 2011. Web. 14 Sept. 2014.
30 Halliday, Josh (24 September 2010). "Stuxnet worm is the 'work of a national government
agency'". London: The Guardian. Web. 14 Sept. 2014.
31 "The Stuxnet worm: A cyber-missile aimed at Iran?". The Economist. 24 September 2010. Web.
14 Sept. 2014.
24
32 "IAEA Report on Iran". Institute for Science and International Security. 16 November 2010.
Web. 14 Sept. 2014.
33 Did Stuxnet Take Out 1,000 Centrifuges at the Natanz Enrichment Plant?". Institute for Science
and International Security. 22 December 2010. Web. 14 Sept. 2014.
34 "Hackers Reportedly Linked to 'Anonymous' Group Targeted in Global Operation Supported by
INTERPOL." PR014 / 2012 / News / News and Media / Internet / Home. Web. 15 Sept. 2014.
35http://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=message+to+world+citizens+anonymous&page=
3
36 Hackers Reportedly Linked to 'Anonymous' Group Targeted in Global Operation Supported by
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37 "'Anonymous' Hackers Threaten Israel with Cyber-terrorism." 'Anonymous' Hackers Threaten
Israel with Cyber-terrorism. Web. 15 Sept. 2014.
38 "A New Approach to China." Official Google Blog. Web. 15 Sept. 2014.
39 Anderlini, Jamil (January 15, 2010). "The Chinese dissident’s ‘unknown visitors’". Financial
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41 McGreal, Chris (5 April 2010). "Wikileaks reveals video showing US air crew shooting down
Iraqi civilians". The Guardian (London). Archived from the original on 2011-06-26. Web. 15 Sept.
2014.
42 Channing, Joseph (9 September 2007). "Wikileaks Releases Secret Report on Military
Equipment". The New York Sun. Archived from the original on 2014-02-21. Web. 15 Sept. 2014.
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Equipment". The New York Sun. Archived from the original on 2014-02-21. Web. 15 Sept. 2014.
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25
45Rogers, Simon (23 October 2010). "Wikileaks Iraq: data journalism maps every death". The
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47 "What Is a Proxy - What Is My IP ®." What Is My IP. N.p., n.d. Web. 14 Sept. 2014.
XI. Further Readings:
http://www.nato.int/docu/review/2013/Cyber/timeline/EN/index.htm
http://www.vigitrust.com/mysitecaddy/sitedata/vigitrust.com/images/pdf/resource/legal/ISCC_Cybe
rterrorism_Definitions_ppt1_060706.pdf
http://list25.com/25-biggest-cyber-attacks-in-history/
http://defensetech.org/2011/09/12/cyber-terrorism-now-at-the-top-of-the-list-of-security-concerns/
http://www.wdel.com/story.php?id=62458
https://wikileaks.org
https://exploreb2b.com/articles/assessing-the-risk-of-wikileaks-to-international-security
http://googleblog.blogspot.com.tr/2010/01/new-approach-to-china.html
http://www.interpol.int/News-and-media/News/2012/PR014
http://www.jpost.com/Defense/Anonymous-hackers-threaten-Israel-with-cyber-terrorism-347667
http://www.globalresearch.ca/us-israeli-stuxnet-cyber-attacks-against-iran-act-of-war/5328514
http://www.economist.com/blogs/babbage/2010/09/stuxnet_worm
http://papers.duckdns.org/files/2011_IECON_stuxnet.pdf
