It’s one thing to worry about the privacy implications of how social media platforms or mobile apps may monitor or record your unique user preferences. But it’s another matter altogether to have your email hacked and digital properties wrongfully taken.
Unfortunately, the recent Sony email hacking underscores the growing global threat of cyber terrorism. And on the heels of new reports that implicate North Korea in the aforementioned hacking scandal, the era of state-sponsored electronic terrorism is sparking debates today about that which could lead to war between or among nations in the future.
“American officials have concluded that North Korea was ‘centrally involved’ in the hacking of Sony Pictures computers, even as the studio canceled the release of a far-fetched comedy about the assassination of the North’s leader that is believed to have led to the cyberattack,” The New York Times is reporting.
As of this writing, it remains to be seen if senior administration officials will go public with these allegations, effectively charging North Korea with a cyber terrorism attack.
Although a James Franco movie was likely never on your mental list of things that could trigger a global conflict, in the electronic age, say military and political leaders, cyber terrorism — which can take on many forms — poses a more pervasive and perhaps even greater threat to the future of peace, freedom, and stability than anything experienced during the Cold War.
