Writing in TechCrunch, Tom Chapman, director of cyber operations of Edgewave, describes how terrorists can apply the same techniques used against Anthem, Sony and many others to engage in cyberterrorism.
What could these technique be? Spearphishing. Chapman writes:
As groups like ISIS become more tech-savvy and recruit members from Western countries, they will gain the ability to conduct effective spear-phishing attacks. What they will attempt to do inside corporate or government systems is hard to say. Hacking the controls for nuclear power plants, traffic systems and other vital infrastructure after a spear-phishing breach requires significant skill, but that skill level is increasingly common.
In fact, ISIS is already using spearphishing to accomplish its objectives! As we wrote in our posting ISIS – Cyberwar, ISIS is using sophisticated email targeting intended to discover information about opposition groups which can be used to locate and harm enemies of ISIS.