Security Threats on Critical Infrastructures Resulting Disruptions to Operations
Scenario: River is enjoying working in the section and asked you to provide some more information on the critical infrastructures you two have been talking about. You already had a good discussion on three more of the critical infrastructures. Determine the ones from your most recent three discussions that you did not discuss yet. Determine which one of the them you will use to discuss a physical attack, which one for a cyber event, and the remaining one for a natural disaster.
River asked you to keep the format the same as last time since it worked really good in explaining various aspects of the critical infrastructures. You determined to use the following outline for each of the three sections (plus the overarching requirements):
Description of a Hypothetical Threat (physical, cyber, or natural disaster)
Brief background on the Critical Infrastructure as it relates to National Security
Elaborate on the known Risks/Threats/Hazards/Vulnerabilities from the Hypothetical Threat
Explain how damage to the from the Hypothetical Threat could impact the Dependencies/Interdependencies between critical infrastructure sectors
Existing Resiliency related to Continuity of Operations
Consider how to Minimize Disruption that improves First Responder Safety.
Technical Requirements
Your paper must be approximately 6 pages - 2 pages per critical infrastructure discussed (the Title and Reference pages do not count towards the minimum limit).
Scholarly and/or credible references should be used. A good rule of thumb is at least two sources per page of content.
Type in Times New Roman, 12 point and double-spaced.
Students will follow the current APA Style as the sole citation and reference style used in written work submitted as part of coursework.
Points will be deducted for the use of Wikipedia or encyclopedic type sources. It is highly advised to utilize books, peer-reviewed journals, articles, archived documents, etc.
https://www(dot)cisa(dot)gov/critical-infrastructure-sectors
to the writer:
Hello,
please see attached link to pick the 3 sectors. I did not pick 3 because I figure it might be easier to write if you pick the ones you like. So just pick 3 that you did not write about. I also have an 8-page paper with 4 different sectors I will be requesting after this. thanks
https://www(dot)cisa(dot)gov/critical-infrastructure-sectors
Security Threats on Critical Infrastructures
Student’s Name
Institutional Affiliation
Security Threats on Critical Infrastructures
Critical infrastructures are critical to a country’s operation and overall development. Therefore, any disruption to the essential services can have devastating impacts on a nation’s assets. Effective planning and coordination are critical in protecting critical infrastructures. The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has a crucial responsibility of preventing, protecting, and responding to any issues that threaten national security. The government has a vital responsibility to protect critical infrastructures against natural disasters, cyber threats, physical attacks, and other catastrophes (Stellios et al., 2018). Information technology, communication, and manufacturing sectors are critical infrastructures susceptible to different forms of attacks. Therefore, such attacks might result in significant disruptions to the essential operations, thus impeding the attainment of set objectives.
Information Technology
The information technology sector is susceptible to different cyberattacks, especially in the current era of the proliferation of new forms of technology. In a world of high reliance on modern technology, most organizations rely on technology in securing data and available systems. However, communication over technology systems subjects such organizations to cyberattacks (Gheorghe et al., 2018). Since the technology sector comprises different forms of operations, cybercriminals are likely to target such organizations for their malicious intentions. While most of the threats emanate from employees as insiders, the vendors are likely to heighten the possibility of attacks. Therefore, the technology sector is vulnerable to numerous invasions, implementing effective measures to deter malicious intentions on the available systems.
Security analysts at the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) have realized that hackers could be taking advantage of the susceptibility of government agencies to execute their malicious intentions. Notably, cybercriminals often utilize phishing scams to access sensitive information, such as login credentials and other forms of sensitive information (Gheorghe et al., 2018). Besides, hackers access sensitive information through government servers, which exposes them to significant security risks. Therefore, government agencies should collaborate with IT experts to identify vulnerabilities on the available systems and mitigate them to avoid related risks.
Cyber threats on government servers have far-reaching devastating impacts. Therefore, the security architecture of the available systems should be solid and cost-effective to prevent possible vulnerabilities to the available designs. According to Stellios et al. (2018), the Department of Homeland Security in the United States recommends that national networks operate with strong encryption to prevent unauthorized access to the available systems. Besides, IT technicians utilize Virtual Private Networks (VPNs) to detect and address different forms of unwanted intrusions. Over the last three decades, the US government has been using the Department of Defense (DOD) to communicate and store critical data. Currently, the information technology systems for the Department of Homeland Security and Department of Defense are at significant risk of cyber-attacks.
Threats and their Impact on Dependency and Interdependencies
Loss of data is one of the significant risks on modern technology systems due to increased cyber-attacks. Hard drives are likely to fail as a result of malicious attacks. Therefore, organizations and government agencies without a backup might experience loss of sensitive data on the hard drive. Besides, unpatched operating systems result in an increased vulnerability to cyber threats. In such a case, cases of data leakage are likely to increase significantly (Stellios et al., 2018). The United States is at a high risk of losing its power grid due to damage to the various servers following cyberattacks. Cyber domain and national defense will be the main focus of national defense in future efforts of addressing malicious attacks on available systems. Besides, government agencies are at an increased risk of damage to military networks and the unwillingness of Congress to invest in cybersecurity. Furthermore, the internet is dependent on digital infrastructure that is susceptible to different forms of attacks that foreign aggressors are likely to take advantage of to thrive.
Government agencies have focused on creating resistance against threats. However, some of them are yet to implement preventive mechanisms fully. Therefore, the government must identify and prevent attacks against the available servers and information systems (Gheorghe et al., 2018). In such a case, the government would save on recreating data from scratch after an attack on the servers. Notably, a backup plan helps to restore critical data healthily and efficiently. Through continuity of operations, the government would be well prepared to address any form of cyber-attack. The key objective in the preventive effort is to minimize disruption while enhancing the safety of first responders. First responders are likely to be on the scene of the attack before the installation of a backup. However, the responders might be unable to access the needed information after the execution of a threat. The most effective way of reducing disruption for the first responders is adequate preparation for any eventuality.
Communications Sector
Communication systems are critical in expediting the effective exchange of ideas for government agencies and organizations alike. In most instances, government agencies utilize wireless communication systems in communication and maintain a backup plan in case of an emergency. However, the backup is in a different area to minimize the intensity of damage in case of an attack. Physical attack is the main form of susceptibility that affects communication systems. Following confusion in the aftermath of an attack, government agencies find it challenging to execute normal operations....