| Terrorists and military faction leaders have utilized the ability promulgate change through the use of social engineering and mass media outlets to further advance agendas and causes. Since the introduction of the Internet and networking, these individuals have utilized the ability to connect to massive amounts of people. With the use of online radicalization and the ability to train recruits without the hassle of international boundaries, jihadists quickly mastered a new version of psychological operations. The jihadist cyber influence resulted in the deaths of the victims of the Fort Hood shootings (Shane & Dao, 2009). The jihadist rhetoric influenced the attempted bombings of military recruiting stations (Kohlmann, 2011). The addition of online radicalization influenced the seduction of young women into joining the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) (Saltman & Smith, 2015).;The threat to U.S. citizens and their children has become an ever-growing concern as opposition is targeting youth in support of their campaign. Currently, the avenues of recourse consist of legislation, laws and education. The importance of utilizing these tools remains paramount, as many youth have unfettered access to the Internet with no oversight. The results show a persistent problem, albeit minor in the U.S., but growing in other Western countries. The exacerbation of the lack of legislation and security controls to regulate the ability of these individuals to influence the American people, allow jihadists to remain a threat worthy adversary. Keywords: Cybersecurity, Cynthia Gonnella, Al Qaeda, children, Constitution, factions, jihadist, laws, legislation, social media, terrorist, ISIS, and virtual relationships. |
