Critical Infrastructure Attacks

It is essential to understand America’s critical infrastructure and key resources (CIKR) and National Infrastructure Protection Program (NIPP) to ensure survivability of its critical assets, while maintaining security for America. “The plans are carried out in practice by an integrated network of Federal departments and agencies, State and local government agencies, private sector entities, and a growing number of regional consortia (DHS, 2009, p. I).” Several agencies work together to mitigate attacks on CIKR to protect public safety and security of the nation. A terrorist may stop at nothing to carry out an attack on CIKR. If an attack or natural disaster does transpire, each agency working together to restore the damage must be timely. Additionally, NIPP helps to identify hazards associated with the various sectors, and provides necessary security measures to harden resources (DHS,

To improve our readiness to combat and battle these threats. In Seattle,there are secure fiber networks being put together to interlink the government and emergency operations. Not only Seattle but many other cities and countries have invested local funds in creating new 911 centers and emergency operation ceters. Worried about these attacks and threats the United States have “hardened” the control networks that manage electricity and water grids. The entire field of cyber security and information technology has a new way of confronting not only terrorist threats but all of the ongoing issues created by hackers and identity thieves. Knowing if America is safer now than in 2001, especially since Bin Laden's death ,the United States will not know. But in not knowing, where, how, or when a threat could be more than just that the United States has become more vigilant and more prepared (Proud To

Also, the homeland is safeguarded against acts of terrorism, manmade or natural disasters, and focused on actions to protect the citizens, residents, visitors, critical assets, systems, and networks against the Nation’s greatest risks, by enhancing Protection through cooperation and collaboration with all sectors of society to create conditions for a safer, more secure, and more resilient Nation. Furthermore, the Protection capabilities are achieved through specific, but are not limited to, critical infrastructure protection, cybersecurity, border security, immigration security, protection of key leadership and events, maritime security, transportation security, defense of agriculture and food, defense against weapons of mass destruction threats, and health security (National Preparedness…, 2011). Due to the fact that the private sector owns approximately 85 percent of the nation’s critical infrastructure (banking and financial institutions, telecommunications networks, energy production,and transmission facilities) there is greater emphasis now on public and private sectors forming effective partnerships for protection. A series of Information Sharing and Analysis Centers is one new feature of infrastructure protection, which are public-private partnerships designed to provide members of

When it comes to the protection and mitigating of any structure or organization risk analysis and vulnerability assessments must be conducts so as to know what’s to be protected, the threats manmade or natural disaster, ranking the potential of threat as well as the probability. In terms of critical infrastructure the risk analysis and vulnerability assessment has guidelines from Homeland Security Presidential Directive Number 7(HSPD-7).

An executive order issued by President George W. Bush on October 16, 2001 established the President’s Critical Infrastructure Protection Board. The Board was created with the goals of coordinating “cooperation with and protection of private sector critical infrastructure, state and local governments critical infrastructure, and supporting programs in corporate and academic organization; protection of federal departments and agencies critical infrastructure; and related national security programs” (The White House).

Critical infrastructure is actively what moves the United States forward as a world dominating force. Critical infrastructure is also the life-blood that maintains the nation’s way of life. Each one of these organizations gives strength to the country’s wealth, health and security. We use them every day in our lives, it is the bridges we cross when we go to work, and it is the planes, trains, and automobiles that move the citizens throughout the nation. It is these types of critical infrastructure that keep our homes lit at night, the water we bathe in and drink, and it provides a multitude of communication structures that help us stay in touch with our loved ones.

The United States is one of the safest countries in the world with the most advanced weapons and well-trained security agents (Fairthorne, 1993). My assessment of the country’s protection effort is that the nation has done enough in laying down security infrastructure, this is based on the fact the country has not received any major attack since 9/11. The country has also been able to intercept many attacks and therefore it means that the country is secure and that the security measures put in place are appropriate enough to secure the

The term Critical Infrastructure did not come into use until the mid-1990’s. Since the 1970’s there have been 2,723 terrorist attacks that have taken place in the United States, causing a total of 3,570 deaths. About seventy-five (75) percent of those attacks targeted critical infrastructures. Critical Infrastructures (CI) and systems constitute high-value targets (Forest & Howard, 2013). Executive order EO 13010 Critical Infrastructure Protection was issued by president Bill Clinton on July 15th, 1996. This executive order addressed the concerns

United States’ national infrastructure are resources that are vital to keep commerce operating. Technology have allowed the governments and the private sector to share vital information with them. The nation well-being depend on each of the critical infrastructures, the big question is on how to maintain all of our infrastructure sectors operative without any problem. There a big wave of threats to our nation and if one of this threads go through, it can created a multidimensional problem to the infrastructure system of the country. The main concerns that exist in protecting the U.S. against any attacks to any U.S. infrastructure and in the same time on how to have a system that work well with other agencies. For example; is important to

D. Describe where on the network the attack likely originated. Provide specific examples based on general critical infrastructure systems (CIS) vulnerabilities to justify your claims.

The United States’ critical infrastructures provide the American people with power to fuel their homes and businesses, water to keep themselves hydrated and prepare food, transportation network that get them from one location to the next which is efficient, merchandise including food, communication systems they rely on to communicate with friends and family, and more. The sixteen critical infrastructures are important to the U.S. and its people that if anything were to happen to these infrastructures sectors could bring problems to the U.S. Most of the 16 critical infrastructure facilities are privately owned.

One of the primary reasons critical infrastructure are being attacked now, because they are under the controlled of Internet-connected devices; or have network driven components that communicate through the infrastructure (Goldman, 2013). Decades earlier infrastructure was manually driven and it required touch labor or human intervention to function. Innovation have change the way critical infrastructure is controlled and operated. Another reason behind the increased attacks on critical infrastructure, it has become an easy way to inflict pain or create dismay. Some attacks are state-sponsored and others may be organized intrusions, in either case they know infrastructure has vulnerabilities and how to exploit them.

When it comes to protecting an infrastructure, careful planning and coordination needs to take place. Protecting an infrastructure takes an important security initiative called Critical Infrastructure Protection (CIP). The United States critical infrastructure is protected by the Department of Homeland Security.

On July 15, 1996, the former President W.J. Clinton issued an executive order for establishing the President’s Commission on Critical Infrastructure Protection (PCCIP), making them responsible for developing the nation’s strategic plan to address the possible threats against the nation. Within a year the committee selected eight infrastructures which were considered as the most vital to the nation’s economic security. Not surprisingly, water resources systems appeared in the list. Although by that point some of the most important and yet vulnerable aspects of a society were pinpoint, yet surprisingly, the proper logical approach to ensure their safety was not explored as accurately as one might hope (Haimes, 2002). The main issue was that most attempts against hostile radical movements were considered as one unique problem.

The security and safety of the nation’s critical infrastructure are significantly relying on measures implemented to ensure software resiliency and dependability. According to statistics released by the National Security Agency (NSA) chief General Keith Alexander in 2013, “about 90 percent of the nation’s critical infrastructure is owned by the private sector, and therefore is not under the control of the U.S. government or military.” (Gripas, 2013) However,