Thesis (MA) - Cyprus International University. Institute of Graduate Studies and Research International Relations Department

Includes bibliography (sheets 52-57)

ABSTRACT
The Internet has established itself as an exceedingly influential medium of
communication starting from the end of 1980s. It has since then reached a crescent
global audience. A genuinely global network with low entrance barriers has been
made possible by the development of more complex technologies. With the use of
internet technology, it is simple for a person to communicate across boundaries
swiftly and effectively with an almost infinite audience. The emergence of
technology has benefited terrorist and insurgent organizations in a variety of ways,
just as it has helped governments, corporate organizations and the public. Terrorists
have exploited the Internet for propaganda purposes as well as for planning, training,
recruiting and fund raising. This thesis looks at the methods terrorists really use to
accomplish their goals online. The United Kingdom is used as a case study in this
regard in order to analyze the techniques used by terrorist organizations. The
outcomes of this study demonstrate that terrorists continue to launch attacks more
frequently in the physical world than in the Internet. Terrorists' utilization of the
Internet is now an addition to the attacks the constantly launch in the real world.
With this in mind, this thesis comes out as a preliminary analysis attempting to show
how cybersecurity research and terrorism are related.
Keywords: Cyberterrorism, Internet, Terrorism, United Kingdom.