Posted on November 19, 2015 by KC Gonzalez
The recent tragic events in Paris have underscored the need for international cooperation in the struggle to deal with terrorism throughout the world. Just this month Max Kilger, senior lecturer in cyber security and marketing, traveled to Turkey with an international team to conduct NATO training on cyber terrorism.
Kilger briefed 75 military officers and government officials from 22 NATO and non-NATO countries about how the Internet is used by terrorists for command and control, communications and recruitment as well as the potential for using it as a weapon against national critical infrastructures.
“It’s important that as we build a knowledge base of terrorist resources, tactics and motivations, and that we share this information with other countries working to deter (cyber) terrorism,” said Max Kilger. “Terrorism is a strategic global issue that is not going away and managing terrorist threats will require continued close cooperation and collaboration among many different organizations around the world.”
Each member of the instructional team brought their own unique expertise to the table during the five-day course, and Kilger’s lecture focused on the value of integrating our understanding of the relationship between people and digital technology into the development of future cyberterrorism scenarios.
“Beyond the obvious advantages that digital networks bring to communication and recruitment among terrorist elements, there are significant synergies in social dynamics between people and digital technology that make the Internet a complex environment for perpetrating malicious acts,” he said. “I was happy to be able to donate the time and expertise to this worthwhile cause.”
Wendy Frost—
Please send your comments to: wendy.frost@utsa.edu
— KC Gonzalez
