How to Curb Cyber Threat to the US?

NB: We do not resell your papers. Upon ordering, we do an original paper exclusively for you.

NB: All your data is kept safe from the public.

Cyber terrorism has been used of late to terrorize US government and commercial websites with the most memorable being the one that occurred in July 2009. Englishmen say, “It is better to hold the bull by its horns”. In real life, this saying means that it is advisable to face the problem at hand, head on. Holding the bull by its horns often requires an offensive approach because horny bulls are rough animals. Likewise, when fighting terrorism it is advisable to be on the offensive rather than defensive. A national security strategy for cyberspace that identifies and destroys possible sources of cyber terrorism should be the primary focus for American security agencies.

According to the Council of Europe (CE, 2007), cyber terrorism is the use of the internet for terrorist purposes. Cyber terrorism is a crime perpetrated on the international front and cyber security agencies have been puzzled by the complexity of this modern day security threat. CE (2007) asserts that investigators of cyber terrorism are normally challenged when investigating such crimes because digital traces do not allow them to determine the purpose of a given attack.

For example, it might be challenging to evaluate whether the attack was intentional or a mere system failure. Information on how to misuse and manipulate the internet is publicly available even to the terrorists. Since the internet is available in most locations in the world, the attack can be launched from anywhere even in the training caves of terrorists. The attacks are also very quick especially the distributed devoid services (DDS).

The attack does not depend on the internet speed hence the hacker can even influence or exploit the connection speed of the victim. Worms or viruses can be spread very quickly even without the participation of the attacker. Cyber terrorists normally use camouflage techniques and it is hard to trace the original perpetrator. Although the use of the internet is cheap and requires the use of a small bandwidth connection, the damage caused by a cyber attack can be very costly.

Cyber attacks can target various aspects in society such as computer and cell phone networks, financial institutions, army intelligence, and the transport sector. Cyber attacks are likely to cripple crucial services such as banking services, railway and airport control services or it may lead to the loss of crucial information such as military intelligence or contact information. It is paramount to destroy any website which has been found to pose a threat to the national security. An offensive approach calls for constant surveillance of cyberspace and timely interventions.

Being on the offensive begins with proper planning and depends on the availability of state of the art equipment that will be used to detect and destroy potential cyber threats. From the offensive perspective, the Department of Homeland security works to monitor and analyze websites in order to determine threats to the homeland security (Yonah & Kraft, 2008). Websites which are identified as a threat are then attacked and brought down. In addition, Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) is involved in the development, surveillance and analysis of websites commonly referred to as ‘honey spots’ for the purposes of attacking of current and potential jihadists (Eckes, 2009).

Websites which are often identified as ‘honey spots’ are then attacked and rendered inaccessible. National Surveillance Agency has the role of surveillance of terrorism related websites rendering them inaccessible. The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is charged with the responsibility of analyzing cyber infrastructure for the purposes of determining possible terrorists’ threats or plans to the U.S (Schmid, 2011).Department of Defense (DOD) carries out surveillance of websites focused on discussions of perceived vulnerabilities of the U.S military facilities and operational capabilities in the overseas and disabling those that pose a threat to the operations (Schmid, 2011).

Taking an offensive approach has a number of advantages. First, this approach sends a warning signal to potential cyber terrorists that the US is alert and that it has the machinery to defend itself from external or internal cyber threats. Secondly, an offensive approach destroys and prevents possible attacks, which would cause irreparable damage. Thirdly, this approach identifies perceived vulnerabilities of the U.S military facilities and operational capabilities in the overseas and disabling those that pose a threat to the operations. Fourth, an offensive approach renders terrorist websites inaccessible.

As mentioned earlier, an offensive approach requires proper planning and the availability of advanced equipments that will used in to detect and destroy potential sources of threats. Therefore, state security agencies need to invest heavily in research and technology so as to stay ahead of potential attackers. This paper refutes suggestions from other quarters which suggest that the US national security strategy for cyberspace should use a defensive approach. Cyber terrorism is a complex endeavor and it is not possible to prevent all possible sources of threats. The best option is to be on the offensive that is, to identify and cripple potential sources of cyber insecurity.

This paper has noted that Cyber terrorism is a crime perpetrated on the international front and cyber security agencies have been puzzled by the complexity of this modern day security threat. CE (2007) asserts that investigators of cyber terrorism are normally challenged when investigating such crimes because digital traces do not allow them to determine the purpose of a given attack. Since the internet is available in most locations in the world, the attack can be launched from anywhere even in the training caves of terrorists. The attacks are also very quick especially the distributed devoid services (DDS). Cyber terrorists normally use camouflage techniques and it is hard to trace the original perpetrator. Although the use of the internet is cheap and requires the use of a small bandwidth connection, the damage caused by a cyber attack can be very costly.

Cyber terrorism has been used of late to terrorize US government and commercial websites with the most memorable being the one that occurred in July 2009. Security agencies in the US should take an offensive approach when dealing with cyber terrorism. An offensive approach has a number of advantages. This approach sends a warning signal to potential cyber terrorists that the US is alert and that it has the machinery to defend itself from external or internal cyber threats, it destroys and prevents possible attacks, which would cause irreparable damage, it renders terrorist websites inaccessible, and it identifies perceived vulnerabilities of the U.S military facilities and operational capabilities in the overseas and disabling those that pose a threat to the operations.

References

Catherine, A. & Rollins, J. (2011). Terrorist use of the internet: Operation information in cyber space. Darby: Diane Publishing Company.

Council of Europe (CE). (2007). Cyber terrorism: the use of the internet for terrorist purposes. Strasbourg Cedex: Council of Europe Publishing.

Eckes, C. (2009). EU Counter-Terrorist Policies and Fundamental Rights: The Case of Individual Sanctions. London: Oxford University Press.

Schmid, A. (2011). Research:The Routledge Hand book on Terroism. New York: Taylor & Francis.

Yonah, A. & Kraft, M. (2008). Evolution of U.S. Counterterrorism Policy. New York: Greenwood Publishing Group.

Click Here To Order Now!

How to Curb Cyber Threat to the US?

Do you need this or any other assignment done for you from scratch?

We have qualified writers to help you.

We assure you a quality paper that is 100% free from plagiarism and AI.

You can choose either format of your choice ( Apa, Mla, Havard, Chicago, or any other)