The 26x11 day
Would someday Cyber terrorism be this Way??  

Deepti Sutaria

Cyber Terrorism is defined as a criminal act perpetrated by the use of computers and telecommunications capabilities, resulting in violence, destruction and/or disruption of services , where the intended purpose is to create fear by causing confusion and uncertainty within a given population, with the goal of influencing a government or population to conform to a particular political, social or ideological agenda”  or

“any person, group or organization who, with terroristic intent utilizes, accesses or causes to be accessed a computer or computer network or electronic system or electronic device or by any available means, and thereby knowingly engages in or attempts to engage in a terroristic act.”   Death penalty is imposed by the government in case of death due to cyber terrorism. 

Ultimately we had to define this term in the IT Act after the cyber terrorism of 26X11 incident happened in Mumbai. The lesson we should have learnt earlier when 9X11 happened in America …Nay! We need to be followers even after the Silicon Valley has half the population of Indian Software Monsters or call them Brain Bashers, whatsoever, who are sitting on their legitimate Desks and managing the best software companies…But Alas we have to have Legal eagles who are sharp enough to handle the scenarios when it comes to defining the word ‘Cyber Terrorism'. 

It was long back in 2000 when I wrote my first book “Cyber cops Cyber criminals and Internet” that the word ‘cyber terrorism' made its place in the glossary ..though there was no definition in the Indian IT Act till then ….where Dewang Mehta the IT man not only thought about the best part of e-Contracts through this Act but beside e-commerce there were lot many things which had to be really amended and to be added to the IT Act. Now it's being done...Great g od bless us. 

Cyber terrorism is a word which has been defined by various countries in their own ways. Technology has been monstrous as it has been advantageous, to a human being. The sharp brains who develop viruses also know the formulae for the Anti-viruses ....and there comes a huge market for them…but alas...what happens to an Act when thousands of people die just on the switch of a remote handled at a distance safe. 

The best source of creating terror for a terrorist in the most populated areas is just to diffuse all the systems whether it be cctv's or else hidden cameras. And a terrorist could be defined wearing a Lee Cooper Jeans or a Ray Ban glasses in a sober appearance, with an intention of spreading terrorism. The huge fake IP Addresses, the Fake Chips which he keeps taking in the false names and above all most of them having their gurus like Osama Bin Laden …Kasab is just a tiny tot who could not play safe as his gurus might have been into illiteracy more of it . No sharp brains. But who knows tomorrow a human bomb could explode several thousands again?

The cyber terrorism 26X11 has given a shudder to Mumbaikars! It has shattered the World Peace Forums and the Media had been covering it Live with hundreds of lives devastated within just a couple of days. 

What all we need to do?

As an individual:

• Keep yourself safe from strangers …chatting on Internet.

• Please shut down your computer before going to bed; a Trojan can widely work.

• Do remember to dial 100 whenever in problem with a stranger or if you happen to find the strangest thing happening on the road, a Mall, a Multiplex or any local area.

• Please keep changing your password every fortnight.

• You should be diligently handling situations - Active Management and Decisiveness.

• The computers at home should have minimum Security.

Remember as an individual you can chain out to be a group who can fight for the security against an individual terrorist or a group of terrorists if you apply your brains.

Terrorist organizations are highly funded and technically well sound. They can move scenes through chips and remotes. The infrastructure of a country could be devastated in a minute if the security systems are poor.

So everyone from an individual to academicians, industrialists, the Government and the Parliamentarians, need to rejuvenate their basic beliefs about Terrorism. Now is the right time to define cyber terrorism in your own ways and be safe. 

The United States of America has 87,000 different jurisdictions to cope up with different kinds of Cyber Terrorism  and Cyber terrorists.

So the Question lies ‘Where are we?'