Comparing civilian willingness to attack critical infrastructure on and off line

As critical infrastructure and governmental resources are increasingly supported by the Internet, there has been a substantial increase in attacks against these sensitive targets. There has also been a concurrent increase in cyberattacks against various governmental and private industry targets by non-state sponsored groups, most notably Anonymous and LulzSec. These conditions facilitate the emergence of civilian cyberwarriors who are encouraged and emboldened by the anonymity afforded on-line to engage in malicious acts against critical infrastructure in countries around the world. As a consequence, there is a need to explore individual willingness to act as a cyberwarrior against foreign and domestic targets, and any relationship this may have to physical acts of protest and violence. This study will compare a sample of students collected at two universities in the United States and Taiwan to understand the rates of participation in physical and cyber-actions against domestic and foreign targets. Implications of this study for legal and governmental security policies will be explored in detail, along with directions for future research to understand emerging threats in cyberspace.