Al-Qaeda Poses Threat to Net

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November 25, 2002 (Computerworld) -- Intelligence and security experts last week said new warnings of potential cyberattacks against Western economic targets by al-Qaeda sympathizers should be taken seriously by government policy-makers and the managers of the targeted systems.
In an exclusive interview with Computerworld on Nov. 18, Sheikh Omar Bakri Muhammad, a London-based fundamentalist Islamic cleric with known ties to Osama bin Laden, said al-Qaeda and various other radical Muslim groups around the world are actively planning to use the Internet as a weapon in their "defensive" jihad, or holy war, against the West.
"In a matter of time, you will see attacks on the stock market," said Bakri, referring specifically to the exchanges in New York, London and Tokyo. "That is what al-Qaeda is skillful with. I would not be surprised if tomorrow I hear of a big economic collapse because of somebody attacking the main technical systems in big companies."

Sheikh Omar Bakri Muhammad, founder of the London-based group Jama'at Al-Muhajirun

The White House declined to comment. However, U.S. Navy Cmdr. David Wray, a spokesman for the FBI's National Infrastructure Protection Center (NIPC), said the NIPC is "concerned about the potential for terrorists to use the Internet to inflict damage, as well as using it as a communications tool."
"Among the stated goals of al-Qaeda is a desire to cause economic harm to the U.S., and the Internet is a vital element of our economy," he said.
Cyberwarfare Alert
Although some experts said they doubt Bakri has detailed knowledge of any specific al-Qaeda plans, others characterized his remarks as the first affirmation of cyberwarfare planning by a high-profile radical Islamic leader with ties to terrorist organizations. Bakri is the founder of the London-based group Jama'at Al-Muhajirun and is a self-described spokesman for Osama bin Laden's International Islamic Front for Jihad Against Jews and Crusaders.
"There has been much speculation and some evidence that cyberterrorism is a component in their bags of tricks," said Brian Kelly, president and CEO of iDefense Inc., a cybersecurity company in Chantilly, Va. "But to my knowledge, this is the first clear statement from a senior representative linked directly to the use of cyberterror to help achieve their aims."
Roger Cressey, former chief of staff of the president's Critical Infrastructure Protection Board, said he is unaware of any other high-profile radical figures with links to bin Laden who have talked in such detail about attacks on global information networks.
Cressey said any characterization of international terrorist groups as technologically unsophisticated bands of thugs would be "a fundamental mistake." He said the U.S. has underestimated the time al-Qaeda dedicates to studying the "fissures" in the U.S. security apparatus and that it's clear that al-Qaeda and other groups are "pushing students into computer science" for these purposes.
Vince Cannistraro, former chief of counterterrorism at the CIA, agreed and said many Islamic fundamentalists, some of them close to al-Qaeda, have developed expertise in computer science. "And some are well schooled in how to carry out cyberattacks," Cannistraro said. "We know from material retrieved from [al-Qaeda] camps in Afghanistan that this is true."
Bakri emphasized that jihad groups are very active on the Internet and referred specifically to "millions of Muslims around the world involved in hacking the Pentagon and Israeli government sites."
Technology as a Weapon
Although security experts consider Bakri's "millions" claim to be an exaggeration, Cressey noted that "a cadre is being created of very computer-literate students" in places such as Pakistan and Malaysia.
"I would advise those who doubt al-Qaeda's interest in cyberweapons to take Osama bin Laden very seriously," said Bakri. "The third letter from Osama bin Laden a few months ago was clearly addressing using the technology in order to destroy the economy of the capitalist states. This is a matter that is very clear."
But the degree to which that threat is cause for concern is debatable.
"I have no doubt that these guys are serious about wanting to target the computer and information system infrastructure," said Larry Johnson, a former CIA officer and deputy director of the U.S. State Department's Office of Counterterrorism. "However, these guys are like Hitler in the bunker during the final days of World War II. They are developing plans and directing nonexistent armies."
Johnson added that al-Qaeda's ability to bring down systems probably "lacks the punch of a good old-fashioned ice storm."

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