Homeland Security: The Fight Against Cyber Terrorism

The most recents detections of how cyber warfare is inevitably coming was the accusations of Russia hacking the the Democratic National Committee and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton’s email’s releasing damaging evidence against them which ultimately lead to Donald Trump being named the President of The United States (Diamond, 2016). The effects of cyber warfare have leaked over in to televise series, forming shows such as CSI cyber, and the gaming world, Call Of Duty Infinite Warfare. Neglect regarding cyber security can: undermine the reputation of both the government and elected officials; force unacceptable expenditures associated with the cost of cleaning up after security breaches; cripple governments' abilities to respond to a wide variety of homeland security emergency situations or recover from natural or man-made threats; and disable elected officials' ability to govern (Lohrmann, 2010). Classified information such as overseas operators and attacks, missile locations, response plans and weaknesses, and much more cripples America’s ability to defend itself from enemies both foreign and domestic. To combat cyber terrorism is the Cybersecurity Information Sharing Act, or CISA. In an article titled “Why Cybersecurity Information Sharing Is A Positive Step for Online Security” it is discussed that under CISA, the Department of Homeland security will have more responsibility for domestic cybersecurity. CISA’s fundamental purpose is to better enable cybersecurity information to be shared between the private and public sectors (2016). The sharing of threat information between public and private sectors can give the the United States a head start by allowing them to share information rapidly and more often to combat enemy threats while still providing safety for privacy and civil

In the early days of computing, a hacker was primarily referred to as a computer guru, someone who is extremely technical with a high expertise in computer also known as “Expert Programmers”. Nevertheless, as technology is advancing at a face pace, hacking has adopted a completely different definition. The modern definition is someone who access a computer system primarily to steal or destroy information. Hacking has caused major harm in the realm of technology. Over the years, hackers have become much more lethal in their craft. They manage to break into complex information systems from entities such as banks, government agencies, and private businesses. Furthermore, they often manipulate their victims through social engineering in order to obtain financial benefits. Hackers hold different label such as: black hat hacker and white hat hacker in which all have their own motives.

has aided the NSA and FBI in identifying and intercepting terrorist plots in the past. Following

235). The war on terrorism is not always fought by conventional means. Law enforcement at all levels of the government faces other terrorist forms of attacks such as cyber warfare. Cyber warfare or cyber terrorism can greatly damage our government; therefore, the intelligence community and law enforcement should partner up to find methods in preventing, preparing for, and responding to cyber-attacks. We must not forget the importance of communities and building positive rapport with them, because they are our eyes and ears towards combating foreign and domestic

The DHS has received $41.2 billion just in 2016 (Hanley 1). However, no amount of spending could actually make Americans feel safer. Even with the amount of money the DHS has received, the attention that they are actually giving this situation lacks. The attentions between each agency is varied after the attacks of 9/11 (May 7). Which results in different outcomes on handling terrorist attacks. During a panel appearance, panelists have stated that “Americans are wasting money looking for a magic bullet and funding programs that previous experience shows don’t work” (Hanley 15). During a panel interview Michael German, a former FBI agent, acknowledges the fact that there are terrorists out there who are always one step ahead and sometimes it doesn’t help to be just invested in money but the quality of analyzing the terrorists. There are better ways to deal with terrorism and the first step is for the DHS to fully give their attention to stopping these terrorist attacks. Giving attention to the situation will conclude in how things are getting done by the DHS. Opinions throughout the agencies are distinctive; however, working together is a still a key to making the process work. After 9/11 there were many people who worked for the government and coped with the situation differently but in the end the solution to the

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

As technology advances across the globe, the potential for new types of threats arise. The DHS realized that since 1997, cyber-based attacks on federal systems have continued to increase at an alarming rate. This threatens our countries national security because cyber-based attacks are ever expanding and have continued to be one-step ahead of the DHS, until 2003.

This specific section of the executive order calls for consultation with potentially affected communities purposely identifying legal, auditing, financial, and insurance communities as industries with which to consult. Additionally, the executive order also establishes a directive that the Board shall coordinate with the senior liaison officers of the Attorney General, the Secretaries of Energy, Commerce, Transportation, the Treasury, and Health and Human Services, and the Director of the Federal Emergency Management Agency. Additionally, the Board shall work in coordination with the Critical Infrastructure Assurance Office and the national Institute of Infrastructure Assurance Office and the national Institute of Standards and Technology of the Department of Commerce, the National Infrastructure Protection Center, and the National Communications System (The White House). This indicates the large amount of actors impacted by information security infrastructure. This author finds it compelling that departments and agencies specifically related to homeland security and protection such as the FBI, CIA, and Department of Homeland Security. In fact, throughout the Executive Order the Department of Justice is mentioned in incident coordination and crisis response and law enforcement coordination; however, the Secret Service is specifically mentioned. It appears there is a large emphasis on coordination between executive agencies. However, the Board’s Coordination committee includes the Federal Bureau of Investigation (The White

Also, the author explains these groups have found a hole in the Cyber law. Since they are not showing any signs of cyber terrorism and they have an unknown number of people the US government cannot convict them. This means that Congress has to find a way to rewrite the laws, which were written in 1986, so they can take this case to court. This article concludes by stating these hacking collectives are not a threat to the security of the US and the government should consider hiring

Government services are a frequent target of cyber terrorism. The Israeli-Middle East conflict for instance shows numerous cases where cyber warfare is just as damaging as conventional means. Palestinian and Hezbollah hackers have been known to frequently attack Israeli infrastructure, often compromising government, military, and media sites. For its part, Israel has been known to hack its enemies in the Middle East, most notably Iran (XX). However, cyber terrorism is not the only means by which Canada's cyber security can be compromised. State-sponsored attacks also bring a great deal of damage, and in many cases, are better organized and funded

As a growing majority of middle class families fall victim to the economic devastation of the Great Recession, suffering from prolonged unemployment, depleted job markets and a rising cost of living, the threat of potential terrorist attacks striking America and its interests seems to have faded into the proverbial background of our collective consciousness. With a transfer of power from the hawkish Bush Administration to President Obama and his more diplomatic approach, major media outlets in print, on television and in the blogosphere, which just a few years ago regaled with patriotic fervor while espousing the possible peril awaiting the nation, have all but abandoned their coverage of terrorist activity. This reversal in focus by both individuals and institutions may simply be a natural response to the reduced capabilities of al-Qaeda and other terrorist networks, as confirmed by the leading authority on terrorism and its effects, and national security analyst for the CNN network, Peter Bergen, who observed recently that "the Obama administration has played a large role in reducing terrorist threats by continuing and scaling up many of former President George W. Bush's counter-terrorist methods" (Bennetch 1).

Another thing that Homeland security uses computers for is vigilance. This is probably the most used area for computers in homeland security This technology caused quite a bit of changes with homeland security. These changes were mostly good ones. They have helped made the job easier for security since they now provide insight to things that people used to dream of. In many ways this will help homeland security protect our nation against possible terrorist attacks. In Source A, Shribman states that “Until Sept. 12, 2001, Americans gave little thought to the clash of freedom and security, because the pressure against freedom came mostly from barriers involving race…” He was meaning that nobody cared about the privacy being provoked because the only people were being violated was African American people which at that time they were heavily

In the years since 9/11, homeland security has turn out to be frequently and generally identified as both a word and as a Federal department. However, a large amount has been learned since 9/11 concerning the array of further challenges we face. Hurricane Katrina strongly illustrates the general impact of weak preparedness and response in the face of severe natural disasters. Widespread international cyber attacks from some of the most sophisticated denial-of-service efforts to persistent and rising attacks on U.S. Government cyber systems reflect the increasing

laws that established the Department of Homeland Security is the Implementing Recommendations of the 9-11 Commission Act of 2007or Public Law 110-53(dhs.com, 2016). This law addresses a wide range of the Department’s missions, including cargo security, critical infrastructure protection, grant administration, intelligence and information sharing, privacy, and transportation security(dhs.com, 2016). There are at least three or more HSPDs that are closely related with this law. I chose HSPD 3 Homeland Advisory System which implements a Homeland Security Advisory System to provide a comprehensive and effective means to disseminate information regarding the risk of terrorist acts to Federal, State, and local authorities and to the American people(Bush, 2001). HSPD 7 Critical Infrastructure Identification, Prioritization, and Protection which was rescinded by PPD 21 Critical Infrastructure Security and Resilience which addresses changes and revisions to critical infrastructure and key resources and in includes cyber security. With this specific HSPD I also include EO 13636 since it provides specific guidance, actions, responsibilities to the cabinet secretaries and directors of specified agencies to improve the security and resilience of the critical infrastructure cyber systems.(Bush, 2001). Another HSPD that I have found that relates to this law is HPSD 13 because its purpose is to protect U.S. population centers, critical infrastructures,

Secretary Johnson, this memo is being addressed to you on the basis that the foreign policy issue that is threats to cyber security is of interest to the Department of Homeland Security. In brief explanation of the issue at hand, it can be concluded that the major foreign policy problem of cyber security threats has created and will continue to create imitate danger to the United States of America. The act of breaching the security sustained around private networks has become renowned as a type of terrorism, one that has rapidly evolved since the beginning of the 21st century and has gained even more strength with the increased use of computers. This threat has the potential to risk the exposure of the nation’s most valuable information including government documents, military plans that are considered top secret, and even the United States power grid. The convenience and the ease of use has made this threat greater as individuals conducting what has become known as cyber attacks can be thousands of miles away from the network they hack into. In order for this threat to be combated efficiently, a brief history based around the issue must be conducted as well as an examination of possible alternatives before concluding with the best proposed solution that will bring this threat under control and ultimately aim to eliminate it.