Earlier this January, the Charlie Hebdo attacks in Paris shocked millions across the globe. News channels brought us almost 24 hour coverage of events and are still analyzing the effects, some weeks later.
However, there’s more to the aftermath than first meets the eye. France has received a massive spike in detected cyber-attacks, reporting over 19,000 attacks since events unfolded in the capital.
This cyber-terrorism represents an often ‘hidden’ side to politically motivated conflict and are neither new nor unique.
For many years, we have witnessed a close correlation between tensions in the middle-east and the number of cyber-attacks detected in conflict zones.
Political conflicts between Turkey, Syria, Lebanon, Israel, Egypt and Palestine regularly trigger waves of cyber-attacks such as website defacements and Denial of Service attacks (DDoS).
Here are just a few examples of this cyber-terrorism:
- Harvard website hacked by Syria protesters
- Turks hack Israeli Facebook accounts over Gaza blockade incident
- With Gaza Conflict, Cyberattacks Come Too
- Syrian Electronic Army attacked most major Qatar websites
Just as street-level conflict can be a way to express opinion and get your voice heard; for others, cyber-attacks are the most powerful protest tool available.
“these attacks are usually unsophisticated and are not motivated by theft of data or money”.
In my experience, these attacks are usually unsophisticated and are not motivated by theft of data or money. Instead, they are brought about simply by an individual or group’s need to voice their opinions.
So as Europe experiences a wave of terror attacks, what can it learn from the middle-east and its longstanding tensions?
For one, there is a very real correlation between civil conflicts and attacks in cyberspace, although thankfully not visa-versa.
Second, consumers and businesses should make sure they protect themselves in cyberspace once terror or political conflicts hit the streets.
Visit our AVG Academy on YouTube for helpful tips on protecting yourself online.