Cyber Security as National Security Threats Essay

Introduction

In the world characterized by advance development in different sectors, including technology and weaponry, the USA faces several national security threats. One of the new and possible deadly national threats is cyber security threats. The current age of information technology has given rise to a new cyber domain that has reduced important barriers and increase international cooperation while at the same time promoting augmenting adversaries. As a result, the government is entitled with the responsibility of protecting the nation and the public welfare against any possible security threats from the cyber-related threats, and its effects to the general welfare of the people and the government. The paper discusses cyberspace and the use of the internet as a possible security threat to the USA; and how to combat the treats (Bonner).

Cyber Security as National Security Threats

The internet and the cyberspace have become an important cornerstone of the nation's communication, military command, commerce, emergency service, power plant distribution, mass transit and several other important infrastructures necessary in enabling and sustaining the modern 21st-century society. This cyberspace is an international domain regarding information environment comprising of an interconnected network of information technology (IT) infrastructures, such as telecommunication networks, internet, computerized systems, and embedded controllers and processors. As the national dependency on this cyber-related technology, so does the cyber threats to national security increases. This is because a diverse group of none-state actors, nation-states, individual and state-sponsored groups may wage malicious cyber on these infrastructures thus greatly affecting the normal way of life. Cyber and sabotage attacks on the nation's energy, transportation and economic infrastructures by seen by the invested attackers as the way to circumvent the country's military strength.

The main force behind cybersecurity is a risk of cyber-attacks. Each level of physical infrastructure utilizing information technology is composed of people, information and operation software, each vulnerable to security breakdown, whether through accidents, attacks or infiltration. Cyber threats, in this case, is asymmetric since it enables few people to perpetrate attacks and affect the masses.

Using the internet connected computer, an aggressive cyber actor many carry out a cyber-attack with little operational and technical resources. With a minimum margin of failure, cyber-attacks give a significant result with low financial resources. Due to the permeable nature of internet networks, an infiltrator a network with a lower risk of discovery. The asymmetric nature of the cyber-attack gives the attacker with limited battlefield warfare abilities an opportunity to challenge the US directly and negate its military superiority.

The ever-increasing change in ubiquitous computing with cyber-risks is mostly characterized by a target system, actions against the target, the attacker and the effects that come as a result of the attack. The possible consequences of the attack may include the damages to the targeted infrastructure, indirect or direct losses to victims, and different impacts on other related parties using the infrastructure. As the cyberspace technology becomes increasingly entrenched and pervasive in the society, it creates a possible target for attack and an increasing number of people with attacking skills. The security departments must, therefore, familiarize themselves with the environment by knowing not only the cyber domain but also attacker, their goals and motives and the human element. The consideration of important components will give a greater fidelity to the process of making a decision (Clarke ).

The country's cybersecurity strategy must consider the rapidly changing circumstance while coming up with strategies for combating national security. With cyber protection, the nation must face a combination of issues, ranging from security, private-public interface, research and development, human capital, and the controlling of others such as the effect of the ever-increasing volume of traffic, the possible shifts from IPv .4 to IPv .6, the nature of US global role and the net neutrality.

The USA military has been using a decision-making model known as Observation-Orientation-Decision-Action (OODA) Loop. This concept was used to come up and implement strategies in an ever-changing environment. The same model needs to be used in dealing with cybersecurity threats. The model is effective because it is a cyclic process which adapts from the continuous feedback acquired from a different phase of the model's open system.

The reason for OODA Loop is for an enemy to go through different stages through decision cycle expeditiously, seeing, and reacting to the ever-changing environment in a faster way than their enemy. In effect, the dominant opponent goes through the OODA Loop by quickly changing the environment or reducing time to a point where the attacker cannot accelerate his movement to the point that the enemy cannot proceed with his plans. The victor, however, cannot become complacent and must keep on proceeding to the next decision cycle to maintain its success (John).

In the past years, the OODA Loop's adaptability to a faster dynamic environment has turned out to be a critical decision-making model in various sectors such as private and public. The country can utilize this framework to computer network defense(CND) and computer network operations (CNO).

To counter the cyber threats, the country's defenders and policymakers must take practical measures in strategically changing policies requiring groups to internally and externally share information of their organizations, such as across private and public organization, State and Federal departments, and the countries' border. Communication and information networks are owned and run by the private sector, both internationally and nationally. As a result, the security departments need to make a partnership with the local, federal and state government agencies, non-government sector and international support from the government allies (Liaropoulos).

The international community should, therefore, continue to aid contingency plans, such as the famous Cyber Storm. Cyber Storm was a government initiative to test the private and government sector communications, policies and procedures in response to different possible cyber-attacks and figure out the additional planning and process promotion required. The initiative greatly improved the country's cybersecurity response mechanisms and preparedness by using the valuable lessons learned from the exercise (Clarke).

The nation will have to develop policies and laws that address threats related to cyberspace and hold persecutors of the threat accountable; establish the regulations that need security in some sectors, develop programs and organizations the give assistance in cybersecurity; and in increasing the financial budget for cyber-public awareness, research, defense, and education. Even though the federal government is at the moment executing efforts toward aiming at enhancing cyberspace security and governance, its initiatives and policies are limited in delivering reliable and effective cybersecurity strategies.

Conclusion

In conclusion, it is clear that cybersecurity is a great national security threat, whose negative consequence is unimaginable since all sectors of the economy including the essential infrastructures rely on cyberspace technology. Even though the government as successfully carryout out cybersecurity strategies at the tactical level, it must also consider focusing on coming up with a more comprehensive strategy which shows the responsibilities and roles of different stakeholder organization and articulates effective timelines. It is, therefore, important to deal with the rapid and pervasive cyber threats in a forward-thinking, effective partnership and adaptable solutions.

Works Cited

Bonner, David. "Executive Measures, Terrorism and National Security." 2016.

Clarke, Richard A. "A New Cold War? Russia, China, the US and Cyber War." National Security, vol. 1, no. 2, 2017, pp. 25-56.

John, M. "2018 International Conference on Cyber Security and Protection of Digital Services (Cyber Security)." 2018 International Conference on Cyber Security and Protection of Digital Services (Cyber Security), vol. 2, no. 1, 2018, pp. 24-40.

Liaropoulos, Andrew N. "Reconceptualising Cyber Security." Cyber Security and Threats, vol. 1, no. 2, 2017, pp. 16-26.