FINANCING TERRORISM THROUGH CRYPTOCURRENCIES
FINANCING TERRORISM THROUGH CRYPTOCURRENCIES

Summary/Abstract: TODAY'S SECURITY ENVIRONMENT IS INCREASINGLY COMPLEX. THE TIMES WHEN PEACE, CRISIS AND CONFLICT WERE THREE DISTINCT PHASES, WHEN CONFLICTS WERE MOSTLY FOUGHT BY MILITARY MEANS AND WHEN THE ADVERSARIES WERE WELL KNOWN, ARE OVER. TODAY, CYBER ATTACKS HIT NATIONS BEFORE A MILITARY ATTACK. SOCIAL MEDIA CAMPAIGNS CREATE ALTERNATE REALITIES THAT SEEK TO DESTABILIZE POLITICAL COMMUNITIES WITHOUT A SINGLE SOLDIER CROSSING A SINGLE BORDER. AND THE "HYBRID" COMBINATION OF MILITARY AND NONMILITARY TOOLS CREATES AMBIGUITIES THAT MAKE NATO'S SITUATIONAL AWARENESS AND, CONSEQUENTLY, CONSENSUAL AND RAPID DECISION-MAKING MUCH MORE DIFFICULT. HYBRID THREATS ARE A GROWING CONCERN FOR SOCIAL COHESION AND THE CONTINUITY OF GOVERNMENTS. IN RECENT YEARS, THIS NEW FORM OF THREAT HAS COME TO BE INCREASINGLY PRESENT AMONG THOSE RESPONSIBLE FOR MANAGING CRISIS CELLS AND SECURITY POLICY. THEY CAN THREATEN TO WEAKEN A STATE AND MAJOR STATE INSTITUTIONS OR INDUSTRIES BY EXPLOITING THEIR VULNERABILITIES. THESE THREATS REQUIRE MINIMAL RESOURCES AND REDUCED COSTS THROUGH THE MAJOR INFLUENCE OF TODAY'S SOCIAL MEDIA. FROM CYBER ATTACKS ON CRITICAL SYSTEMS, TO DISINFORMATION THROUGH SOCIAL MEDIA AND BROADCAST CAMPAIGNS, RECENT EXAMPLES DEMONSTRATE THE POWER OF HYBRID THREATS TO ERODE SOCIAL COHESION, CITIZENS' TRUST IN PUBLIC INSTITUTIONS, ELECTORAL PROCESSES AND GOVERNMENT CONTINUITY. THE ROLE OF THIS ARTICLE IS TO PRESENT A NEW TYPE OF FINANCING OF TERRORIST GROUPS WITH THE HELP OF A PAYMENT METHOD THAT IS INCREASINGLY DIFFICULT TO TRACE.

• Details
• Contents