Terrorism and the Internet: Finding a Profile of the Islamic "Cyber Terrorist"

The number of terrorist attacks that have brought about bloodshed and left a mark on recent history have spotlighted once again the need to stem the attempts by terrorist organizations to conduct attacks within the EU, forestalling the intentions of the martyrs-to-be. The Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) is undoubtedly the terrorist group that, more than others, has taken advantage of Internet, not only as a tactical means of coordination, but also as a tool to carry out proselytism, recruitment, propaganda, and fundraising. As one could imagine, constantly monitoring the Internet for these activities is an extremely complex and time-consuming activity, requiring a huge amount of money and manpower, and resulting in very poor - and only temporary - outcomes. To stem this rapidly spreading phenomenon, it can be useful to focus the attention of decision-makers, intelligence and law enforcement on a possible profile of a "cyber terrorist". This paper aims at tracing the identikit of a possible "cyber terrorist" that is as broad and consistent as possible.