Cyber Attacks, Intrusion Attacks And Network Attacks

Today however, a new type of warfare has emerged and occurs when outside entities conduct an attack on a power grid, network, or both with the intent of causing damage. This type of warfare is called cyber warfare. In the United States computers control everything. It is no secret that hostile countries and terrorist organizations are cognizant and they know our economy, security, and infrastructure can be crippled by a successful cyber-attack. Examples of potential targets for cyber terrorists include military bases, water systems, banking facilities, air traffic control centers and power plants. Even the Commander in Chief, President Obama has stated the threat of a cyber war is real and we must prepare for it and increase our security measures. First, this paper will discuss cyberterrorism and cyber-attacks as they pose a direct threat to national security and the economy. Then, we will review cyber-attacks against the U.S. from China, Iran, and Russia along with the impact and possible ramifications from those attacks. Finally, this paper discusses U.S. strategies to minimize the impact of cyber-attacks.

Chapter 9 of Beyond Sovereignty discusses the expansion of cyberspace and its response to globalization. Cyberattacks and other problems arise within cyberspace which can range from minor inconveniences to a national security problem. These attacks are dangerous because of the vastness of the Internet which makes it hard to pinpoint the exact motive of a hacker. Also, constantly evolving technology leads to new ways of infiltrating. Cyberattacks come in the form of hacking, virus-spreading, and information operations. As dependence of technology increases, more terrorist organizations use the Internet as a way to plan and carry operations. For example, in 2007, Estonia’s entire Internet infrastructure was attacked by the Russians. The denial-of-service

The United States houses more than 15 critical infrastructures, all of which implement information and communication technologies (ICT) systems, making the risk of a cyberwar a constant possibility. In order to

For years, it was widely believed that the next World War would be centered on the use of nuclear weaponry. However, the development of viruses has furthered cyberwarfare, and in recent years the attention has shifted from a nuclear threat to a cyber one. Having the ability to completely, dismantle another country’s entire infrastructure without leaving your desk is clearly much simpler than using nuclear weapons. “The treat of a cyberattack is a clear and present danger to America and is more likely than a nuclear attack.” (The Hill) Even higher ranking defense officials are realizing that the focus must shift to cyberwar, instead of the traditional nuclear missiles. Additionally, the cost for cyberwarfare is significantly less than the cost of nuclear

The fourth spoke on the wheel of terrorism is “computer crime”. The use of computers can be used in a good way or can also be abused. Cyberattacks are a huge threat to our national security and technological infrastructure.

The destructiveness of cybercrimes. The severity of incidents with the intent to damage and disable critical information network systems will increase.

When considering the technological advances over the past 50 years, the Internet has undoubtedly had the greatest impact on everyday life of developed economies and its citizens. The world has become smaller, societies interconnected, and the pace of global integration dramatically increased since the introduction of the Internet. As people and information become increasingly integrated around the world, physical borders between nations are no longer sufficient to restrict access to information and sensitive data. This integrated world allows for malicious cyber actors to advance strategic

The worse attack on the United States computer network took place in 2008. The Deputy of Secretary of Defense, William J. Lynn III, described the event as a “network administrator’s worst fear: a rouge program operating silently, poised to deliver operational plans into the hands of an unknown adversary” (Lynn, 2010). The common thought that comes to mind when we think of an attack on a network infrastructure is that the attack is a complex attack coordinated by some “black hat ” hacker/cracker that had to decipher lines of code and encrypted algorithm to penetrate the United States network infrastructure. However, the most common attack and the most devastating attack to infect the United States network was a simple social engineering attack.

With the widespread use of technology becoming more prominent, acts of cyber terrorism pose an increased threat to safety. Cyber terrorists exploit the internet and its users to commit acts that can be increasingly detrimental to their targets. Some of the terrorist activities include large scale corruption of computer networks by using tools like computer viruses. Certain individuals even have the ability of creating severe damage to government systems, national security systems and even hospital servers. Most of the technology made today only has intentions of making life easier for people. However, skilled users can manipulate the cyber world for negative intentions. Staying informed when it comes to cyber terrorism and cybercrime is important to do because of the increased reliance on technology in society. Steps to improve cyber security before an attack ensures the safety of sensitive information. The topic of cyber security and cyber warfare are interesting topics to keep up to date with. Understanding these topics can be beneficial to my dream of being in the FBI, ensuring the safety of others by working to prevent acts of cyberterrorism.

New types of Internet-related crimes have emerged. threats to individuals, also called personal cyber-crime, is to illegally obtain the identity of electronic individuals, such as their e-mail and password, and also extend to e-impersonation. For example, dragging images and important files from the victim's device to threaten them and subject them to orders. Also, threat to Property This type of crime targets government, private and personal entities. For instance, destruction of important files or proprietary software, through malicious programs transmitted to the user's device in several ways, notably e-mails. Likewise, there are threats that target governments - hacker attacks on official government websites and network systems. To eliminate or destroy the infrastructure of the site or network system, these attacks are often politically targeted.in addition to that, Political threats that focus on targeting the military positions of some countries to steal information related to state security. To emphasize, Spyware by sending programs to the computer to obtain confidential military

Cyberterrorism is also clearly an emerging threat. Terrorist groups are increasingly computer savvy, and some probably are acquiring the ability to use cyber attacks to inflict isolated and brief disruptions of US infrastructure. Due to the prevalence of publicly available hacker tools, many of these groups probably already have the capability to launch denial-of-service and other nuisance attacks against Internet-connected systems. As terrorists become more computer savvy, their attack options will only increase.” (War on Terrorism, 2003)

Cyber-attacks are being used for espionage, industrial sabotage, or even as a sort of punishment for organizations who are doing business in a way not appreciated by hacker communities. Attacks stopped being random, today’s many hackers know exactly who they want to strike and are patiently waiting for the

Terrorist cyber-attacks on national institutions will result in greater devastation than a cyber-crime directed against an individual. At the current rate in which technology is increasing, establishments must constantly upgrade their system’s security. If the national institutions fail to be vigilant to the present day cyber threats, they will become victims of terrorist cyber-attacks. “Our nation's government, military, scientific, commercial and entertainment sectors all operate on the same networks as our adversaries” (Alexander 18). A terrorist cyber-attack that is successful, has the potential to put people at risk, by allowing sensitive information to get into the wrong hands, disrupting resources, or by altering system information in corporations, to cause harm or confusion. Since a terroristic attack is focused on causing violence or chaos, the targets at risk would be “energy sources and electric grids, water and sewer systems, manufacturing, banks, transportation and communication networks” (Brenner 15).

A lot of opinions and meanings has been given to the word “Cyberterrorism”. Some of these meanings and definitions varies. In this light, Gordon and Ford (2003) are concerned that when 10 people define cyberterrorism and nine of the given answers are different, and these 10 people represent different government agencies tasked with safeguarding national assets and infrastructure, then it becomes a critical issue.

The damage of a full-fledged cyber attack would be devastating, the destruction would be unparalleled to any other tragedy that has occurred America. Since technology is responsible for providing America with vital entities and resources, an unadulterated cyber attack would nearly fail the American economy; this is what is known as critical systems failure. Weapons of mass destruction and cyber attacks present imminent threats of critical systems failure. Although currently Americas’ critical infrastructures are coordinated by controlled systems, majority of these systems are indeed connected to the American cyberspace. This exposes one of America’s most vulnerable spot amidst cyber security. Another major vulnerable spot within the nations IT security would be the geographical physical location for each of Americas primary infrastructures, as well as their productivity. Due to the proximal locations, the major infrastructures could very well be infiltrated by one efficient CNA.