Feds Prepare for Cyberterrorism as Old Threats Fade

One of the first major battles of cyberterrorism is taking place between Israeli, Iranian, and Saudi Arabian hackers who are dumping credit card data belonging to innocent bystanders by the tens of thousands.

Palestinian militants with the Ezzedine Al-Qassam Brigades, the armed wing of the Islamist movement Hamas, simulate the kidnapping of Israeli soldier on Oct. 28. Hamas recently declared that computer hacking is the “new field of resistance.” Said Khatib/Getty Images

One of the first major battles of cyberterrorism is taking place between Israeli, Iranian, and Saudi Arabian hackers who are dumping credit card data belonging to innocent bystanders by the tens of thousands.

The impact of the attacks on each nation’s financial infrastructure spurred Israel to announce on Jan. 7 that the cyberattacks would be treated the same as terrorism. Not long after, terrorist group Hamas announced that hacking is the “new field of resistance,” in an e-mail sent to reporters in the Gaza Strip, The Jerusalem Post reported.

The U.S. government is now bracing itself as terrorist threats move from physical attacks to computers—connecting every home, government office, and military network in the world.

The threat has been warned of for years—by military and hackers alike—but now the time has arrived, and the world is unprepared.