An Application of Routine Activities Theory to Identify Risk Factors of Ideologically Motivated Cyberattacks

• In Event: Division on Terrorism and Bias Crimes Panel: The Role of the Internet in Facilitating Violent Extremism and Terrorism

Abstract

Research on acts of violence in physical spaces driven by ideological motivations has found some consistent patterns in the target selection process of extremists and terrorists. There is far less research examining ideologically-motivated cyberattacks, due in part to a lack of empirical evidence of their occurrence. This study attempts to address this gap in the literature through an examination of a form of hacking called web defacements, where the attacker compromises a web server to replace the regular content of webpages hosted there with images, text, and video of the attackers' choosing. A regression model was conducted to the significant predictors associated with target selection and attack methodology using a sample of 2.2 million web defacements performed against sites hosted in the United States from 2012 to 2016. The findings demonstrate some overlaps with the literature related to physical acts of violence by extremists and provides direction for future research in online extremism generally.

Authors

• Ruth Shillair, Michigan State University

• Thomas Holt, Michigan State University

• Steven Chermak, Michigan State University

• Joshua D. Freilich, City University of New York