Cyberterrorism – The use of the Internet for terrorist purposes

Cyberterrorism and the misuse of Internet for terrorist purposes represents a serious threat, since many essential aspects of today’s society are completely dependent upon the functioning of computer systems and the Internet.

Further to the adoption by the Council of Europe of the Cybercrime Convention (2001) and the Convention on the Prevention of Terrorism (2005), its Committee of Experts on Terrorism (CODEXTER) has been studying this matter and surveying the situation in member states to evaluate whether existing legal instruments are sufficient to combat this emerging form of crime.

This publication contains an expert report prepared by the Max Planck Institute, which evaluates the main problems that arise in the context of cyberterrorism and provides recommendations, together with reports on the situation in the member and observer states of the Council of Europe and the relevant Council of Europe conventions.