Cyber Crime and Cyber Terrorism

METHODS: PHISHING AND DDoS
The media report on two main methods that the SEA makes use of: Phishing and 
DDoS attacks.
Phishing can involve sending out large numbers of e-mails, which contain a mes-
sage that appears to originate from a legitimate source (i.e., a well-known company 
such as PayPal or Twitter). The aim of the e-mail is to convince the potential victim 
to provide their personal details. Some e-mails can direct readers to an external hoax 
website, which is made to look authentic. The website can also encourage the victim 
to provide their confidential information (bank account details, identifying details, 
social security numbers, passwords, etc.)—which can then be used by the Phisher 
to commit an array of subsequent fraudulent acts. Some more complicated phishing 
campaigns can include harmful malware in the email itself, or on the hoax web-
site—which can directly extract the information it needs from the target's computer, 
without requiring the victim to provide the confidential information directly (see 
Chapter 12 for more detail about Phishing).
DDoS (Distributed Denial of Service) or a denial-of-service (DoS) usually in-
volves a system being overwhelmed by simultaneous online requests. This can result 
in the service becoming unavailable to its users. Distributed denial of service attacks 
are sent by two or more people or bots whereas denial of service attacks are sent by 
one system or person (see Chapter 17 for further information).
WHO HAVE THEY HACKED TO DATE?
The following information is a summary of the information available from media 
sources. The SEA have infiltrated the media across the world however it is not clear 
exactly how many attacks and who have been affected. The following are a number 
of examples which have occurred in 2013 and 2014.

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