The Pros And Cons Of National Cyber Defense

On the day of September 11, 2001, the United States faced one of the most massive terrorist attacks in history, and responded with immediate action. After the attack on the Twin Towers, President George W. Bush passed the Patriot Act, which gave the government more opportunities to pursue terrorists through the use of technology, such as computer-enabled device-tracking systems (“The USA Patriot…”). President Bush stated, “This legislation is essential not only to pursuing and punishing terrorists, but also preventing more atrocities in the hands of the evil ones. This government will enforce this law with all the urgency of a nation at war” (“President Bush…” 4). In America, at this time, many were traumatized by the loss of fellow Americans, and were counting on the government to reassure their safety. If Bush had not intensified cybersecurity, there is a chance that another massive terror attack could have taken place and put the lives of men, women, and children in jeopardy. Bush claims that America has “seen the horrors terrorists can inflict” and that the country “may never know what horrors our country was spared by the diligent and determined work of our police forces, the FBI, ATF agents, federal marshals, Custom officers, Secret Service, intelligence professionals and local law enforcement

“The task is simple to explain but harder to achieve. If we do not incorporate adequate security measures in our computer and communications infrastructure, we risk being overwhelmed by external enemies. If we put an externally focused view of security ahead of all other concerns, we risk being overwhelmed by their misuse. We must find a set of rules and a mechanism for overseeing those rules that allows society to defend itself from its genuine enemies while keeping communication surveillance from stifling dissent, enforcing morality and invading privacy. If we do not, the right to use privacy –enhancing technology that was won in the 1990s will be lost again.”

Over the last several years, cyber attacks have been continually rising. This is in response to emerging threats from rogue nations and terrorist groups. They are increasing their attacks on government, military and civilian installations. According to James Clapper (the Director of National Intelligence) these threats have become so severe. It is surpassing terrorism as the greatest challenge facing the nation. In response, the National Security Agency (NSA) began conducting surveillance on those who are involved in these activities and others which are threat to US national security interests. This program became so broad; it started continually collecting phone records and emails on ordinary Americans. This angered many, who felt that the US was acting in a way that circumvented established legal guidelines and procedures. To fully understand what is taking place requires focusing on the event, the government 's response and the ways it did / did not meet our national security goals. Together, these different elements will illustrate what occurred and the lasting impacts on everyone. (Greenwald 2014)

Cyber-attacks against Sony Pictures brought the vulnerabilities of poor cyber security policies to light. These attacks are nothing new but they appear to be getting more severe. According to James Clapper, the director of national intelligence, “Cyber threats to U.S. national and economic security are increasing in frequency, scale, sophistication, and

The integrity of one’s communications and privacy of online activities is the largest casualty of the National Security Agency’s (NSA) surveillance over digital lives. Years since September 11, 2009, the NSA’s mass surveillance has greatly expanded due to the heightened concern that new technology can be used by terrorists to plan and execute a terrorist attack. In today’s age of technology, there are easier ways of accessing information and communication as well as new ways of hacking and gathering personal information. The new surveillance programs and regulations are enabled by the Patriot Act and post 9/11 paranoia, but it has been over fourteen years since the incident. After whistleblower, Edward Snowden, it was revealed that the government’s mass surveillance went beyond what many considered acceptable. It can be predicted that unless the U.S Government reins in NSA mass surveillance, the

The internet represents a medium for both liberty and control. However, it can be used a a tool of control and dominance, increasing governmental power, enhancing government ability to monitor its citizens and potentially control individuals. the NSA uses supercomputers to hack even encrypted systems. This opens a wider door for hackers; it leaves us more vulnerable to being hacked by others, and not just the

There is no doubt the privacy of our online activities and the integrity of our communications have been the biggest casualty of the NSA’s surveillance of our lives. Although ongoing revelations of government eavesdropping have had a profound impact on many different aspects in life. The NSA must balance out their interference with citizens lives because it’s undermining the government's leadership on internet safety, deteriorating internet security, and is causing economic losses to U.S. businesses due to decreasing customer trust.

With the world becoming more advanced and more and more devices being conceived, ie. Smartphones, Smart car, and Smart house, along with a growing dependence on, them even on the level of the government, we need to protect our privacy and safety. It has been statistically shown that our safeguards against hackers and foreign threats is severely lacking. Still, this a worldwide problem, and with the technological revolution, people don’t know how to keep their information safe, so it is our job as part of the government to protect our citizens even from digital

Over the past few years we have seen a massive surge in terrorist attacks carried out by Islamic fundamentalists, which has forced the US government to take action in hopes of preventing future attacks. Part of this action has come in the form of increased online surveillance on US citizens. At first glance, the danger in this is not immediately apparent, but with the information leaked by Edward Snowden it is becoming all too clear what kind of danger this represents. To be perfectly clear, the purpose of this paper is not to delve into conspiracy theories about the government using this surveillance to keeps its citizens in check like some Orwellian dystopian society. Rather, this is simply to highlight how dangerous the methods used in this type of surveillance is to cyber security, and how inefficient it is at stopping terrorism.

In June 2013, Edward Snowden—a former agent for the Central Intelligence Agency—leaked confidential government information to the public through The Guardian by journalists that consequently published it on the Internet. In doing so, Snowden exposed the National Security Agency’s (NSA) spy programs that infringe upon the rights of American citizens, which has catalyzed legal controversy and skepticism towards the United States government due to the violation of privacy (Liu 2014). The Internet is a vast host for a plethora of information and communication between people; private activities and messages between people are not protected under United States laws, which can be exploited. The problem is seen in the NSA’s unwarranted

With the internet being part of our everyday lives, threats can exist in all fronts. Almost everyone and every business is connected to the Internet. Whether it be offers sent via email or just paying a bill online. Localities have also taken to the web, with city agencies allowing its citizens to have access to a multitude of services online. From registering your car to renewing a drivers license, to filing your taxes online, the government has placed our personal information into databases that can be accessed by both the agencies we entrust and the individuals that have entrusted them. Automation and computer systems have touched every industry the consumer relies on, including our utilities. Besides convenient access to information,

When all is said and done, the United States Internet is fully exposed to any threat from outside the country’s borders. What security that exists relies solely on independent security methods, be them from the United States government, from private companies, or just individuals. As has been noted recently, all these have failed miserably, be it China’s stealing of millions of records from the United States Office of Personnel Management (Gertz, 2016), January, to the Sony hack by the North Korean’s (Elkind, 2015) and have demonstrated the total lack of needed national Internet boundary

Since 2010 there have been over 13 major cyber attacks in the US, the FBI categorizes the severity of the attack based on what could possibly be at stake such as information on US citizens or hijacking of critical information . Cyber attacks are classified as crimes committed with the aid of a computer. Cyber crimes are considered felonies, however most people who commit the crimes can usually not be found. Recently there has been an uprising in cyber crimes, in the year 2017 alone 9 minor incidents have occured (minor attacks can consist of malware and internet “trolling” which is a form of cyberbullying) and 4 major crimes have been committed. Most crimes consist of identity theft, robbery, and hijacking private information. Recently programmers have been able to build security systems that can detect a threat almost immediately. With a growing expansion of technology protecting information gets harder day by day. Cyber security is the body of technologies, processes and practices designed to protect networks, computers, programs and data from attack, damage or unauthorized access.

In the last decade it’s amazing how technology has advanced over the years and will continue to advance for many years to come. Every year there is a new cell phone from Apple or Samsung, with new features that make our lives more convenient. From faster software to higher picture quality and so on. I am unable to recall the last time I used a camera to take pictures or went to the bank to deposit a check. Technology advances every day and many can’t wait to see what’s next to come. But with new technology comes greater risk for violations of privacy. In the following research paper I will discuss the types of security breaches and the cost associated with these breaches that businesses around the world face on a daily basis.

Although the internet has given society, multitudinous betterments of our standards of living, the people privately relinquish all our personal information to, also are unprosperous in safeguarding our information. Veritably, as we become, especially Americans, fitting to wanting the utmost convenient technology, without help open numerous opportunities for hackers. Furthermore, if a hacker found a household made this year it would have a security system that’s connected to your phone, oven, TV, internet provider, computers, watch, etc. Moreover, if our own selves are to protect people’s information today, at this point organizations who are making electronics need a larger security team or the innovation encompassing internet security needs to advance.