How Weapons and Technology Has Changed over the Years up to Now to Help Terrorist Attack - Essay Example

?How weapons and technology has changed/ evolved over the years up to now (currently) to help terrorist attack? Weapons have been used by man since ancient times. Over the passage of time, weapons have changed in types, characteristics, and the potential to cause harm. The evolution of weapons is fundamentally linked with the evolution of technology. As the latter evolved and got advanced, so did the former. This can be attributed to the fact that technology plays a pivotal role in the manufacturing as well as usage of weapons. While weapons have been constantly evolving throughout the history, never has the process been as rapid as it has been over the last century. Today, weapons are in their most advanced form and the types of weapons also far outnumber what were there few centuries ago. Types of weapons include but are not limited to metallic weapons, atomic weapons, bio-weapons, and cyber weapons. In the contemporary age, use of cyber weapons is growing far and wide. While the potential of all sorts of weapons to cause harm is much, the potential of cyber weapons to cause harm exceeds all and is tremendous not only because these are the most efficient of all weapons, but also because the scope of harm can be potentially voluminous because the contemporary lifestyle fundamentally depends upon the use of computers for all sorts of tasks. Terrorist groups may either use the different sorts of weapons individually to execute attacks, or may use a combination of different weapons for the same attack to achieve their goals. In the contemporary age, a lot of international terrorist groups have started to use computers and the Internet to keep in contact with each other and execute their evil machinations. A lot of Pentagon officials consent that future adversaries might employ strategies meant to offset the technological superiority of the US. Since civilian high technology services and products such as electronics, communication systems, and computer software significantly support the US military, future conflicts might dissolve the distinction between military and civilian targets. So terrorist groups might attack such civilian systems as computers running the critical infrastructure of the US in the future. Many terrorist groups equip themselves with the required technical expertise to make a coordinated attack against the computers as well. For example, a cyberattack directed at the US economy might target computers operating the government agencies and the civilian critical infrastructure. “DOD officials have also observed that the number of attempted intrusions into military networks has gradually increased, from 40,076 incidents in 2001, to 43,086 in 2002, 54,488 in 2003, and 24,745 as of June 2004” (Wilson). However, it cannot be said with utmost confidence that a coordinated cyberattack upon the critical infrastructure of the US would be potentially harmful. Although objective evidence still needs to be found in support of the idea that the terrorist organizations are contemplating a coordinated attack against computers in the US, yet there is no doubt in the vulnerabilities of the computer systems to such attacks. Initiators of such random cyberattacks that have the potential to plague computers over the Internet are not largely known. But many security organizations have found that automated tools called as “bots” are being largely used to implement random attacks. Bots enable the launch of attacks by the compromised computers using the Internet as swarms. As the automated attack tools are being increasingly used, certain methodologies to track Internet cyberattacks have also become overwhelmed. In the terrorist assault carried out on Mumbai, India in 2008, Ak-47s, hand grenades, and explosives were used by the perpetrators. While terrorists have been using heavy artillery for a long time in their operations, the lethal innovation was how modern information communications technologies were used by the terrorists that included but were not limited to satellite imagery, night-vision goggles, and smartphones to locate their victims. In addition, terrorists establish their operations center in which they received and operated global news broadcasts, social media and online reporting to leverage the social network updates of the public to assassinate more people. Terrorists involved in the Mumbai incident identified individual hostages using search engines. The terrorists got unprecedented situational awareness using these innovations over the government and the police. As the robots have started to become more commonplace, advanced technology has become subject to criminal misuse. The international organized crime groups are increasingly using such technologies. One such incident has happened in Latin America where the drug traffickers are smuggling thousands of tons of cocaine into the US every year using robotic submarines. A man was arrested by the FBI in Boston who had planned to attack the Capitol building as well as the US Pentagon using remote-controlled robotic aircraft full of explosives (Goodman). The exploitation and criminal use of robots is likely to increase in the future with their increased deployment. Biological weapons are another sort of weaponry that has been in use for a long time and have modified in forms and potential to cause harm over the years. Since the 1980s, biological agents have been used by terrorist organizations. Episodes of bioterrorism include contamination of water and food. An example of this is infection of 751 people with Salmonella typhimurium after the salad bars in Oregon were intentionally contaminated by the Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh’s followers (Dire). Bioterrorism ranges in spectrum from hoaxes and non-mass agents of casualty to the state-sponsored terrorism involving the use of classical biological warfare agents. Between September and November 2001, 23 cases of anthrax related to bioterrorism took place in the US, most of which comprise postal workers in Washington DC and New Jersey while the rest happened in Florida and New York (Dire). These cases of bioterrorism caused the death of above 32,000 people. Bioterrorism is one of the most severe and dangerous forms of terrorism because the risk to determine it cannot be identified easily. Congressional Research Service conducted a study in 2011 in which it was stated: “Unfortunately, the nature of the bioterrorism threat, with its high consequences and low frequency, makes determining the bioterrorism risk difficult. Additionally, the presence of an intelligent adversary who can adapt to the presence of successful countermeasures complicates the use of standard assessment techniques” (Gottron 6). The rate of proliferation of technology in the present age is exponential. Cases of bioterrorism occur less frequently than other forms of terrorism, but its consequences are more severe than produced by others. In spite of the best efforts of law enforcement, all sorts of weapons in general and cybercrime in particular have grown unabated. Based on the profile of evolution of weapons to date, use of robots, nanotechnology, synthetic biology, and artificial intelligence is expected to explode in the coming years. The legal and policing paradigms of the nation has failed to keep pace with the growing threat posed by evolving weapons. The paradigm change in the kinds of weapons impart the need of developing a more participatory and open sort of law enforcement. Analysis of the rapid acceleration of the advancement of technology leads to the conclusion that any system that depends upon and is controlled by a small elite force composed of highly specialized agents is doomed to failure. Although there are far more good people in the world compared to the ones with evil intentions, yet the terrorist groups have displayed their ability to use technology which necessitates increased vigilance by ordinary citizens. Today, everybody has access to the tools that have changed the world and their use depends upon the individuals’ prerogative. Works Cited: Dire, Daniel J. “Historical Aspects of Biological Warfare Agents.” 3 Sep. 2013. Web. 5 Dec. 2013. . Goodman, Marc. “How technology makes us vulnerable.” CNN. 29 July 2012. Web. 5 Dec. 2013. . Gottron, Frank. Federal Efforts to Address the Threat of Bioterrorism: Selected Issues for Congress. DIANE Publishing, 2010. Print. Wilson, Clay. “Computer Attack and Cyberterrorism: Vulnerabilities and Policy Issues for Congress.” 1 Apr. 2005. Web. 5 Dec. 2013. . Read More