An oped by Jonathan Zittrain. Not too long ago, the phrase “electronic army” would have conjured up visions of a 1980s cyber-dystopian film — the kind featuring Arnold Schwarzenegger and a lot of fog machines. But today the idea of an electronic army has been adopted outside the realm of entertainment, as a group called the Syrian Electronic Army, which supports Bashar al-Assad’s regime, has successfully managed to temporarily cripple the online operations of companies like Twitter and The New York Times.

via Intensifying Cyber Threats | Jonathan Zittrain.