The Challenges of Cyber Law

Abstract

Acts of terrorism committed by, with and/or through cyberspace are not virtual crimes. These are very real crimes perpetrated by very real criminals. Unfortunately, the cyber domain is a highly complex and ambiguous operating environment where crime, warfare and terrorism can and does occur. The policing and prosecuting of cyber terrorists in this complex environment frames some of the most troubling aspects of the matter. What is the nature of the crime and who are the victim/s? Who committed the crime? Where did the crime take place? Who has jurisdiction? Are there applicable laws in place to deal with the situation? At times, it seems that there are many more questions than answers. Military counterterrorism efforts and legal institutions can and must be updated and applied to crimes that occur in and through the virtual realm. To this end, two areas are explored in this paper: current U.S. policy commitments and the possibilities and realities of implementing punitive actions against cyber terrorists.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Jan 01, 2010
Accession Number
AD1019738

Entities

People

  • Chris Hobbs

Organizations

  • Air Command and Staff College

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Cyber

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Crime
  • Criminals
  • Cyber Warfare
  • Cyberterrorism
  • Department Of Defense
  • Homeland Defense
  • Homeland Security
  • Information Warfare
  • International Law
  • Intrusion Detection
  • Intrusion Detection Systems
  • Intrusion Detectors
  • Law
  • National Security
  • United States
  • War Colleges
  • Warfare

Readers

  • Criminal Law
  • Educational Psychology
  • Irregular Warfare and Special Operations Cyberspace Operations against Adversarial Threats.

Technology Areas

  • Cyber
  • Cyber - Legality in Cyberspace