Cyber-terrorism could target driverless vehicles, milk factories in the future: Top Dubai Police official

In this age of new technologies, terrorism has become more dangerous — and soon, it may start attacking more facilities that are crucial to public health and safety, a top Dubai Police official said on Wednesday.

Cyber-terrorism can become a major problem as several facilities and services could be prone to attacks, said Lieutenant-General Dhahi Khalfan Tamim, Deputy Chief of Police and Public Security in Dubai, during the Police Thought Forum 2022 that was organised by Sharjah Police..

For instance, these terrorists could virtually take over factories manufacturing formula milk for babies and modify the iron content and this could endanger the lives of children.

Facilities like hospitals, surgical devices, pacemakers, driverless trains, self-driving vehicles, planes and even smart metres could come under cyber attack. Criminals could even get control of the systems at stock exchanges or central banks.

End of conventional war

Lieutenant-General Dhahi added that the time for conventional warfare is over. According to him, what we are witnessing now is armies fighting terrorists. The difference, he said is in the duration of the war – when an army fights another military force, the war ends quickly, whereas if terrorists are involved, it takes several years for a resolution.

He pointed out that there is a need for governmental strategies to confront threats from terrorists. The enactment of strict domestic and international legislations, finding an agreed definition for terrorism, in addition to effectively drying up its sources, international and regional cooperation in alliances against it and monitoring terrorist recruitment operations. Spreading a culture of tolerance will also contribute to combatting terrorism.

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