Cyber-Crime and Homeland Security

Cyber-Crime and Homeland Security
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Cyber-Crime and Homeland Security
The world of technology is expanding significantly, creating solutions to various problems and making life easier. However, in the process of seeking solutions, the technologies also present loopholes that criminals utilize to commit crimes. For example, unlike in the past, bank robbers had to physically appear in banks and conduct their actions. However, in the modern world, bank robberies are conducted digitally without the robbers appearing physically at the bank and holding guns. The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) offers help to entities that have been affected by cybercrimes. The department is responsible for assessing the potential impact on infrastructure and also investigates those responsible for the incidents. Therefore, as cybercriminals find and more complex ways of operating, the DHS is also tasked with establishing ways that they can curb the increasing cybercrime issues.
DHS and National Security
The United States Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is the federal department of the United States that deals with public security, immigration, and customs. Other activities that the department handles include cyber security and disaster management. The body commenced its operations in 2003 following the enactment of the Homeland Security Act of 2002 in response to the September 11 attack. The department boosts of over 240,000 employees and is the third-largest Cabinet department after the Department of Defense and veteran affairs. The department operates on the basis of the Homeland security policy, which is coordinated by the Homeland Security Council at the white house. However, it is appropriate to note that Homeland Security is different from the Department of Homeland Security. Homeland Security, Government Affairs, and the House Committee on Homeland Security are legislative body that are responsible for formulating policies and guidelines on which the DHS operates.
The overall role of the department is to secure the nation from various threats, such as terrorism and cybercrime. The department operates on data and hence has to ensure that the information obtained is complete, accurate, and reliable as it helps in determining the progress in achieving its main objective of keeping America safe. The department’s officers ensure that any information that may lead to an arrest is properly recorded, processed, and summarized to allow proper and adequate preparation for necessary action (DHS, ). All the measures that the department approves are retained in its system, which can be accessed by relevant people to make appropriate decisions. The system is responsible for storing all information concerning each measure, which also includes specific details such as the scope of the problem, the data sources used, and the methods used to collect the information and solve the problem.
Cyber Crime and National Security
Cybercrime became a national concern for the last decade and continues to cause more damage as technology advances. The impact of cyberspace crime on national security emanates from the manner that criminals are using the technology. Different researchers have different definitions of the concept of cybercrime. For example, Majid Yar defines it based on its target, whether it is the property, people, or the state. On the contrary, Shinder and Cross define the crime based on the level of violence involved. In this case, the authors define it as violent, potentially violent, non-violent, and crime perceived to be within he white collar category (Tabansky, 2012). Despite the different categorizations, most of the researchers consent that it is a unique phenomenon that should be approached with care. As criminals advance in their tactics by embracing technology for easier access to their targets, the DHS’s role cannot stop at the threshold of their tactics. Instead, the department has to establish ways that it can use to identify and avert these threats.
Cybercrime is of great interest for the United States’ security department because of the manner in which it has grown. As technology continues to advance, the country also continues to face an increasingly complex series of cyber-attacks, which has led prior administrations to take some crucial steps to improve the country’s network security. However, the interventions have not been sufficient to contain the changing threats and vulnerabilities in the cyber domain, which leaves the country exposed (The Heritage Foundation). Policymakers have tried to introduce several cyber bills, which rather than providing solutions to the cyber-crime problems, have resulted in partisan battles that have left the country more exposed because of the various cyber threats. Most of the proposed bills have often had bipartisan support and also bipartisan opposition. The basis of this fight has often been not on the need for the appropriate cyber legislation, but the need over how to define “appropriate.”
Major U.S. Cyber Threat Sources
The main parties that pose a major cyber-threat to the United States are the nation-state players. A notorious country suspected for such practices is Russia, which the Americans have previously accused of meddling in some of their most important exercises, such as the presidential elections. Besides, the country has also accused Russia of being responsible for the multiple cyber-attacks that resulted in the taking down of the portions of Ukraine’s electric grid. Another player that the country is concerned over its role in cyber activities is China, which comes second to Russia. China strongly desires to improve its economy using all means possible, including stealing commercial intellectual property. For example, the Chinese government undertook a campaign on the cyber security breach of the Office of Personnel Management (OPM), which resulted in a compromised information of at least 20 million federal employees.
Other important players include Iran and North Korea. However, these are less sophisticated but are more dangerous in malice. For example, in 2012, Saudi ARAMCO Oil Company suffered a major loss in a cyber-attack in which the “Shamoon” virus attacked its systems, which resulted in the destruction of 30,000 computers. North Korea has also been responsible for a series of high-profile cyber-attacks against eh U.S., with one of the most notable cases being against Sony Entertainment, which was attributed to the company’s production of a movie that depicted North Korea in negative light. The hackers took several volumes of private and confidential information and released them to the public. Besides the natio...