Cyberterrorism and US Infrastructure. Is the US Government able to protect its citizens from cyber attacks?

By Jarad Schraeder and Kristi Glasgall

Seminar paper from the year 2016 in the subject Politics - Topic: Peace and Conflict, Security, Central Washington University (Information Technology and Administrative Management Department), course: Critical Issues in Information Technology, language: English, abstract: This paper outlines the history of the Tier 1 Backbone and the SCADA systems, highlights the current threats to these systems, and then finally proposes solutions to these vulnerabilities. Security in the United States has always been a slow, reactionary process. For instance, the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) did not exist until after 9/11 occurred. It usually takes a catastrophe for our government to prioritize constructive and meaningful progress. Our SCADA systems and Tier 1 Backbone of the Internet are no exception. The Internet wasn't designed with security in mind, so now the United States is in a race to become cyber-secure before the next disastrous event. The United States government is struggling to proactively protect itself and find/train skilled individuals to help protect Americans online. The United States has no shortage of enemies, and those enemies now have skilled cyber-warriors probing through the systems of the federal government and American private companies. Nation-states, cyberterrorists, hacktivists, and criminal organizations are all potential actors that could destroy or manipulate the systems we depend on for financial gain, fame, or to make a political message. An amalgam of patchwork legacy systems, unjustifiable ignorance, and rapidly changing technology have left the United States susceptible to cyberattacks against the most vulnerable segments of our infrastructure.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 3668288887
• ISBN13: 9783668288881
• Release Date: September 2016
• Publisher: Grin Verlag
• Length: 24 Pages
• Weight: 0.10 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.1" x 5.8" x 8.3"