Cyber Security as an International Security Threat
National and International Security is a sum of the actions taken by countries and other organizations that can guarantee the safety and well being of their population. It is vital for a nation to pre-emptively discover what issues could affect their security, and take action to prevent any detrimental or harmful events from happening. With the development of technology and the transition into a more technologically savvy society, cyber security has become one of the most prevalent and important economic and national security issues that the United States will come to face. United States President Barack Obama has identified cyber security as a key issue the nation will face. President Obama declared that the “cyber threat is one of the most serious economic and national security challenges we face as a nation” and that “America's economic prosperity in the 21st century will depend on cyber security (“Foreign Policy Cyber Security,” 2013).” To begin with, cyber security is described as the body of technologies, processes and practices designed to protect networks, computers, programs and data from attack, damage or unauthorized access (Lewis, 2002). In a foreign policy brief, the White House described the importance of combatting cyber security. They said: Cyberspace
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For instance, simple unstructured level has the ability to conduct basic hacks against individual systems using tools created by someone else, while the advanced structured level means the attacker has the capability to perform more advanced attacks against multiple systems and can modify or create basic hacking tools. The final level is the most complex level as it is described as the hacker having the ability to coordinate attacks that cause mass disruption against defenses, and the ability to create sophisticated hacking
At this juncture, it may be somewhat difficult to accept the proposition that a threat to the telecommunications grid, both wired and wireless, in the United States could potentially be subject to a catastrophic cyber attack. After careful research on the subject, it appears the potentiality of an event of such magnitude, which either disrupts one or the other grids for a long period or destroys either, is both theoretically and realistically impossible. It may be that proponents—those who advance such theories—equate such “doomsday” scenarios as if a cyber attack would or could be of the same magnitude as a conventional or nuclear military strike. Terms such as “cyber Pearl Harbor,” “cyber 9/11” and “cyber Vietnam” have been used to describes potential catastrophic cyber attacks and yet, “Though many have posited notions on what a ‘real’ cyber war would be like, we lack the understanding of how such conflicts will be conducted and evolve.” (Rattray & Healey, 2010, p. 77). Yet, the U.S. government continues to focus on such events, as if the plausibility of small-scale cyber attacks were not as pressing.
Terrorism represents a continuing threat to the United States. It is the most significant threat to our national security. Terrorist attacks have definitely left many concerns about the possibilities of future incidents of terrorism in the United States. Since the events of September 11, 2011, Americans and much of the world are afraid. Americans are at war with terrorism and no longer feel comfortable. A part of this unease feeling has to do with cyber terrorism.
President Obama has realized the seriousness of the upcoming threats and turned the government focus more toward defending the information and communications infrastructure and In May 2009, he issued a request from top to bottom review of the current situation. The report titled the Cyberspace Policy Review includes strategy, policy, and standards regarding the security of and operations in cyberspace. According the white house’s cybersecurity foreign policy, the Cyberspace Policy Review highlighted two objectives and ten near-term actions to support the cybersecurity strategy.
Many nations in the world - the United States, China, Russia, Iran, Germany, and more- use cyber warfare as a method of conducting sabotage and espionage. Nations, such as China and Russia, use espionage in order to prevent their economy and their military technology from falling behind by stealing advanced nations’ technology. Other nations, including Israel and Iran, focus on sabotaging other nations to cripple them, by sending malwares that destroy important data on the system, from advancing their technology and costing them a decent amount of money due to repairs. Another popular cyber attack used, mainly with hacktivist, government- sympathetic groups not owned by the government, and nations less advanced in technology, is Denial-of-service, or DoS. DoS is used to hinder the target’s website and other things that are maintained by computers by making it unavailable to intended users. People argue there are no benefits for cyber warfare due to its potential destructive powers and instant process of destruction. While other people-looking from a different view find that cyber warfare does have its benefits. They argue that an important benefit is that cyber warfare takes place in cyber space meaning that it does not physically harm people. They also argue that cyber warfare draws the awareness of the nation on the ever increasing dangers of cyber warfare and forces the government to set up stronger cyber security to fend off international attacks, which also help protect the government from internal hackers. It also creates more jobs for hackers, who use their knowledge to increase the security instead of harm it. Although cyber warfare produces damaging effects on a nation, in the long run, it crea...
A cyber attack has the potential to create extreme economic damage that is out of proportion to the low cost of initiating the attack. A successful cyber attack targets vulnerable computers, forcing them to malfunction or become disabled, whereby businesses, financial institutions, medical institutions and government agencies are not able to use them.
The branches of the military, for a couple generations, have always been the Army, Navy, Air force, Marine Corps, and the Coast Guard; however, in an ever evolving digital world, the notion that outer space would be the next military front is being rapidly replaced by the idea that cyber space will be the next arms race. The United States has been defending attacks on their infrastructure day after day, night after night, when one hacker on one side of the world sleeps, another takes their place to attempt to compromise the US government. The motives may range from a political ‘hacktivist’ trying to prove a point, to an economic spy, trying to gain a competitive edge on its more upstart rivals, to an attempt to control the United States ‘smart’ power grid, giving a nation an advantage in case of an external armed conflict. With all of those types of conflicts going on at the same time, relentlessly, and growing more complex every day, the United States has to step up its game in order to survive, and the government is planning its cyber strategy accordingly. In November 16, 2011, according to an unclassified cyber-security bulletin, the United States government for the first time ever will allow offensive cyber retaliation, something that china has been doing for years; the retaliation order from the United States, however must include an approval by the president (Parnell). The United States government said they are now working on the cyber rules of engagement for this new battle “Domain” as they called it. Governments around the world are gearing up for it, but the definition of cyber warfare is a little bit hazy. Richard A. Clarke defines it in 2011 in his book Cyber War as "actions by a nation-state to penetrate another nation...
For thousands of years warfare remained relatively unchanged. While the tactics and weapons have changed as new methods of combat evolved, men and women or their weapons still had to meet at the same time and place in order to attack, defend, surrender or conquer. However, the advent of the of the internet has created a new realm of combat in which armies can remotely conduct surveillance, reconnaissance, espionage, and attacks from an ambiguous and space-less digital environment. Both state and non-state actors have already embraced this new realm and utilized both legal and illegal means to further facilitate their interests. What complicates cyber security further is as states attempt to protect themselves from cyber-warfare, private and commercial technological methods largely keeps pace with state technological developments, largely removing military advantages created through large militaries. Since the creation and implementation of international networking via the internet, the United States has adopted the technology within the military and government infrastructure. As a result, the United States has opened itself up to a new threat which must be actively addressed in order to protect the national security of the United States. Successful cyber-attacks originating in China, Russia, and the Middle East have already penetrated the United States military’s network infrastructure and leaked sensitive and classified information. While the size and the scope of the information breaches have not yet resulted in a grave threat to the United States, the increase in cyber-threats and cyber-attacks make cyber-warfare one of the most important national security issues facing the United States and the intelligence community. A ca...
Cybersecurity is a serious issue the U.S. faces today, cyberattacks and cybercrimes are national-security threats with the possibility for disastrous consequence. Adam Lowther has identified the properties of cyberspace as unbounded and changes rapidly, a domain that is jurisdictionally complex, and provides a low cost of entry for the adversary as the United States evolves into being asymmetrically dependent on cyberspace (Lowther, 2012), what is the best way to ensure you are not being hacked? With the realization of not being able to achieve cybersecurity, companies should focus their efforts on cyber deterrence. Deterrence offers much more flexibility and increased options while achieving cybersecurity. Cyber deterrence includes options such as taking legal action and making networks invisible, maintaining resiliency. Appling Lowther’s concept of decision-making calculus through assurance and avoidance by reducing the probability of success, increasing the cost to the adversary while reducing the attack surface with agility (Lowther, 2012). These assurance and avoidance techniques should all be applied when attempting to deter the
Cybersecurity is a government institution implemented by Homeland Security. According to the website for Homeland Security, cybersecurity is operated by a team of skilled professionals who will recognize cyber vulnerability and respond as quickly as possible. The security was mainly built for United States defense reasons, but lately has also dealt with issues within the country. Of course its main purpose is to protect the United States and it will continue to do that. It just recently has taken steps to advance to national security as well as personal security. In 2010 the cybersecurity act that was passed was intended to integrate the private and public sector of cybersecurity for optimal use. Hacking int...
In recent years, many possible plans to enact government regulation to improve cybersecurity have been suggested. Most recently, in 2017, then U.S. president Barack Obama implemented the Cybersecurity National Action Plan (CNAP). The plan would have invested $19 billion in cybersecurity by gathering experts to make recommendations in regards to cyber security, help secure the government IT group, and encourage more advanced security measures (Daniel 1). However, while CNAP does present a way to solve the problem, it just adds another program that attempts to enhance cybersecurity: “It is the multiplicity of programs and division of responsibility that diminishes their effectiveness. At least eleven federal agencies bear significant responsibility for cybersecurity” (Cohen 1). Every so often, another cybersecurity program will be established, but former plans are seldom removed. This leads to a large amount of departments to share responsibility, which creates general confusion and limits each department’s power. Furthermore, widespread government regulation may weaken cybersecurity. Many fear that any regulation would not be flexible enough and would instead allow easier hacking (Ridge 3). If every system in the entire nation had the same security measures, it would be much easier to break into as by breaking into one system, a hacker a could break into everything.
Cyber security is the designing, creating, using, and repairing most technological and mechanical equipment. This includes programing and creating new technology before it is mass produced in order to insure safety and quality. It also cover the use of programs to protect and fix technological and mechanical equipment from malfunctions, viruses, and hackers. Lastly, cyber security includes the repairing and upkeep of most electronically designed systems. This job is important because most of today’s world is entirely made up of system that need to be protected, maintained, and constantly improved. This jobs needed in order to keep developed countries stable and able to keep developing,
Since the beginning of time, mankind has waged war against each other. Over the years warfare has evolved, from fighting with sticks and stones to using gunpowder and launching missiles. The newest, and possibly most destructive, type of warfare is cyber warfare. Cyber warfare has the possibility to be more devastating than nuclear warfare.
The nation has become dependent on technology, furthermore, cyberspace. It’s encompassed in everything we deliver in our daily lives, our phones, internet, communication, purchases, entertainment, flying airplane, launching missiles, operating nuclear plants, and implicitly, our protection. The more ever-growing technology empower Americans, the more they become prey to cyber threats. The United States Executive Office of the President stated, “The President identified cybersecurity as one of the top priorities of his administration in doing so, directed a 60-day review to assess polices.” (United States Executive Office of the President, 2009, p.2). Furthermore, critical infrastructure, our network, and internet alike are identified as national assets upon which the administration will orchestrate integrated cybersecurity policies without infringing upon and protecting privacy. While protecting our infrastructure, personal privacy, and civil liberties, we have to keep in mind the private sector owns and operates the majority of our critical and digital infrastructure.
It is asserted in an article the battlefield of cyber space: the inevitable new military branch-the cyber force by Natasha Solce. In this article she has analyzed cyberspace as future battlefield she stressed on the need of plans which include amendments in constitution, establishing a cyber-force and strictked security measures to tackle cyber terrorism. She points out different events which held only because of the mismanagement by security institutions. She investigated that 8th US Air force was designed as the most modern operational force against the cyber terrorist. She concludes that terrorist may instigate more vulnerable attacks in future if they are not dealt with priority (Solce, 2008).
Cyber security is the protection of networks, computers, programs and data from attack, damage or unauthorized access. This is important because a great number of our confidential information is on computers and transmit that data across networks to other computers. As of now cyber-attack is one of the transnational issues that we are concern about in the United States. If these private networks were hack our national security infrastructure will be in distress.