Organised crime players are considered to pose a similar threat, as they usually also have professional organisations, major financial resources and specific capabilities at their disposal. Their intention to achieve personal gain and their massive, sustained and organised cyber attacks on the economy (e.g. the financial system) and individuals can cause considerable economic damage and jeopardise the credibility of the rule of law. Among others, the ZeuS Trojan 6 has been used against online banking clients for many years. The malware is introduced into the IT infrastructure of private persons via forged or manipulated websites. The attackers can subsequently pirate telebanking services and thereby divert money from accounts. Attacks on public and private sector websites by so-called "hactivists" have been becoming increasingly important recently. These non-governmental, individual or loosely organised groups which can potentially attack on a massive scale have good technical skills. The potential for damage resulting from massive attacks by these players is considered to be medium to high. "Hactivists" seek to interrupt services, cause financial damage and destroy reputations in order to mobilise public attention for their concerns. In December 2010, the hacker group "Anonymous" called for an attack on PostFinance. As a result, its Internet services were interrupted for an entire day. This was triggered by the closure of the postal giro account of WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange. In 2007, Russian activists launched a massive attack on Estonian information and communication infrastructure because of the relocation of a Soviet military monument in Tallinn. For several days, the e-government offering and online services of numerous companies could no longer be used. Furthermore, websites of government offices and firms were defaced with pro-Russian slogans. Terrorists use cyberspace to spread propaganda, radicalise followers, recruit and train members, raise funds, plan campaigns and provide information on them. Up to now, the focus has been on using information and communication infrastructure, but not on attacking it: terrorists still aim mainly at carrying out serious physical attacks against life and limb as well as infrastructure by conventional means. Cyber attacks motivated by terrorism with very high consequential physical damage appear unlikely from today's perspective. However, it cannot be excluded that terrorists could try to launch cyber attacks on a country's critical infrastructure in the future. Even if Switzerland was not a direct target, the cross-border implications (e.g. electric power failure or financial market disruptions) could affect Switzerland. There has been no concrete example of cyber terrorist attacks to date. However, the websites of terrorist organisations and of organisations associated with terrorism are continually being monitored for calls for violence and indications of imminent attacks (e.g. Jihad websites). Moreover, unforeseeable events or accidents such as system breakdowns due to premature wear and tear, overloading, faulty construction, poor maintenance or the consequences of natural disasters can also lead to infrastructure breakdowns or disruptions with similarly serious effects. 6 Software with malicious functions (also called malware or malicious software). 11/42