The multi-faceted threat of domestic terrorism

Geopolitical threats have been a top security concern for years. Issues such as climate change increase the likelihood of severe weather, while the impact of international conflicts can be felt all over the world.

Closer to home, U.S. organizations also have to manage the risk of domestic terrorism. While far from a new issue, domestic terrorism has been a growing concern in the United States for the past few years. The current definition of domestic terrorism includes criminal acts dangerous to human life occurring in the U.S. that appear intended to coerce a civilian population or influence or affect the conduct of government.

The first National Strategy for Countering Domestic Terrorism was implemented in 2021. The initial 2021 analysis identifies two of the primary threats: racial and ethnic-based attacks, and anti-government-based attacks. The U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) found that from fiscal years 2013 through 2021, the Federal Bureau of Investigations’ (FBI) number of open domestic terrorism-related cases grew by 357% from 1,981 to 9,049.

In recent years, domestic terrorists have been lone actors or small groups of informally aligned individuals who mobilize to violence with little or no clear organizational structure or direction. The plan focuses on information sharing and prevention, with a goal of shutting down the various pathways that lead up to an attack. The strategy’s first priority is analysis and information sharing. This included research into past attacks and building proper communication networks between government organizations. In recent years, GAO has put out a report on the current domestic terrorism trends, including recommendations for the FBI and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). According to GAO, the FBI tracks “investigations” and “disruptions”, while the DHS tracks “attacks” and “plots”.

Due to the rise in attacks, GAO provided a list of recommendations for both organizations. These recommendations included improving communication channels, both between the organizations and with the country as a whole.

Security leaders should pay close attention to these updates. This information is not only critical to government organizations, but any business that operates in a public space. Leaders should familiarize themselves with risk factors and work to develop a solid security plan. This can include strengthening access control and training employees in emergency response.

It’s important to consider cyber threats alongside any physical ones. Large-scale cyberattacks such as the one against MGM Resorts, have proven their ability to be disruptive. These kinds of attacks pose a different kind of risk, as they can be launched from anywhere in the country. Some threat actors take credit for their work, but some attacks can go unclaimed. Cyberattacks pose the risk of shutting down critical systems, such as hospitals, or revealing sensitive information to the public. It’s important for organizations to build out a cybersecurity strategy to protect themselves, especially if they handle any information a cybercriminal may want.

Important data to protect could include:

• Medical information
• Banking information
• Social Security Numbers
• Home addresses

Recently, unexpected targets have fell victim to cyberattacks. Ticketmaster recently suffered a ransomware attack that threatened to leak consumer payment information, as users often saved their card information to their account for a quick ticket-buying process. If any personal information is saved within a company’s system, there needs to be a plan to protect it.

Domestic terrorism is unfortunately a rising theat. As government agencies work to prevent future attacks, businesses need to work to keep themselves and their data safe.