Going into 2005, it is hard to imagine circumstances where computer security and computer network attacks do not play an increasing role in homeland security and the global war on terrorism.

During 2004, we gained additional insight into the role technology is playing within terrorist organizations like Al-Qaeda . With the arrest of Mohamed Naem Noor Khan, we saw how Al-Qaeda uses email, websites, and the exchange of physical media like CDROMs and DVDs to communicate, train, distribute propaganda, and engage in recruitment. Insurgents in Iraq made extensive use of video editing tools, and they released dozens of beheading, martyrdom, and recruitment videos. Insurgent videos also document the preparation phases for attacks, showing a team casing a defense contractor?s house or a lone bomber preparing to descend on the meal-tent in Mosul . Demonstrating an appeal to a different target audience, Osama bin Laden himself released videotapes, complete with English subtitles. The subtitles meant his videos were immediately accessible to a larger audience and could be played on US broadcast media.