Infrastructure Network Designs, Safety and Susceptibility Study

Measure of Vulnerability Between Other Supply Chain Constituents and the Storage and Refinery Stages.

Natural gas and oil infrastructure is extensively controlled and automated through the natural gas utilities, terminal operators as well as pipeline operators that depend on the modern advanced energy controlling structures. These resources may be at risk if the industrial management structures get linked to the Internet, either indirectly or directly. For instance, management system networks may get interconnected to the corporate commerce function that, in turn get linked to the Internet. Such type of interconnections augment the network's susceptibility to direct cyber-attacks which have the potential to increase risk to this sector through the disruption of movement (Lewis, 2004). The insider cyber-attack such as the ones orchestrated by the former or prevailing staff, build exposure to the natural gas and oil subsector. The cyber-assailants may aim at the industrial management structure (IMS) as well as acquire regulation of a procedure inside the terminal storage, pipeline or the refinery. Moreover, they have the likelihood to influence the transit, storage as well as production elements of the natural gas and oil. These susceptibilities get addressed to diverse extent within the Natural Gas and Oil subsector, by a combination of mandatory and voluntary security principles which apply to the operators and the owners. As the energy amenities universally age, expansion and upgrade projects encompass the application of the SCADA as well as IMS models, particularly of which got created on standards of interoperability as well as openness (Lewis, 2004). These modern schemes incorporate the IT networks with the regulation structures as well as the massive utilization of IT networks in combination with the internet. Such improvements offer interoperability, remote access and the commerce insight among the systems.

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However, the National Science Academy, considers that the decentralization of the natural gas and oil infrastructure domestically makes more vulnerable as to secure them from terrorist attacks as compared to the other supply chin constituents. On the other hand, the US refinery operations are more geographically concentrated in contrast to the rest of the natural gas and oil infrastructure, with roughly 45% of the refineries situated in Louisiana and Texas (Lewis, 2004). Contrariwise, this concentration streamlines the targeting course for the extremists that makes them susceptible compared to the other supply chain constituents.

The Function of IT-SAC on Computer Products and Information Technology

Established in late 2001 and attaining operational capacity in mid-2001, IT-SAC is a non-income, restricted liability organization developed through the members inside the IT sector as a specialized and unique platform for controlling corporations and risk IT infrastructure (Lewis, 2004). Members contribute to homeland as well as national security endeavors to reinforce the infrastructure of the IT through the cyber knowledge evaluation and sharing. Consequently, members assist their firms in enhancing the event response by the trusted coordination, evaluation, and trusted cooperation as well as guided verdict-making by policy creators on information sharing, incident response and cybersecurity matters. However, it is advisable that IT-SAC needs to enhance security range and minimize the fiscal losses for its affiliation, at a period when- referring to Federal Bureau of Investigations approximations-the typical security attack cost an organization at least $500,000 (Lewis, 2004).

In 1998 during the month of May, the 63 Presidential Command got issued by President Bill Clinton as he appealed to the United States industry pioneers to develop information analysis and sharing teams to safeguard the country's infrastructure against terrorism, and constructed that objective as a state security plan (Common cyber-security vulnerabilities observed in control system assessments by the INL NSTB program, 2008). Since most of the country's infrastructure is privately managed and owned, efficient security measures rely upon cooperation among the private and public sectors. In rejoinder to the Presidential command, 1999 marked the founding of the Fiscal Services Information Analysis and Sharing whose proficiency got demonstrated in early 2000 when it protected its affiliates from falling targets to the extensive refutation of overhaul attacks which affected considerable portion of the industry. IT-SAC got designed on the monetary service team that allocates a majority of its information undercover (Lewis, 2004). The concealment assists the affiliates to be extra contented distributing information in a conventionally modest industry in which the security of corporate-crucial information is very narrowly fortified (Braxton, 2013).

Examples of SCADA Protection Overlap Amongst the Corporate Groups and Governmental Agencies

SCADA systems are essential constituents of most country'sdire infrastructures. They regulate wide variety of utilities, manufacturing operations, refineries, transportation and water pipelines and chemical plants (Braxton, 2013). In respect to the corporate groups, SCADA systems offer management with instantaneous statistics regarding the operations in production, it implements more effectual regulation prototypes as well as staff safety and minimizes the operations costs.

These systems are a substantial component of not only the commercial groups but also most of the nation's crucial infrastructures under the mandate of the governmental agencies. For instance, Federal Bureau of Information Technology System comprise of the SCADA model which it uses to gather real-time statistics to maintain and operate the production of hydroelectric power, water distribution and maintain water storage (US Department of Homeland Security, 2009). The information and data gathered support the bureau mission such as the relevant program objectives for instance flood control and dam protection as well as the ecological mitigation.

The Connection Between Sector-Specific Plan and National Infrastructure Protection Plan

The Sector-Specific Plans and the National Protection Plan offer the coordinated policy applicable to the national requirements, goals and priorities for Critical Infrastructure as well as Key Resource Protection. This form of synchronized tactic permits the Federal resources and funding to get exploited in the greatest operative fashion to minimize consequences of terrorism, avert threats and minimize vulnerability. Specifically, National Infrastructure Protection Plan develops the supreme models pertinent to all the Critical Infrastructure and Key Resource segments detected within the 7th Presidential Command of Homeland Security. Similarly, Sector-Specific Plans offer details on the manner through which Critical Infrastructure and Key Resources task can get synchronized, created and adopted in the seventeen Critical Infrastructure and Key Resources Segments. The plans continuously advance with the alteration in the types of threats leading implementation of new programs. Since every segment contains distinctive concerns and matters, ideal tactics to safety differ across and within the Critical Infrastructure and Key Resource segments. The Sector-Specific Plans hence get designed to address the exceptional risk landscapes and characteristics of every segment as it also offers regularity for defensive resources, private safeguarding investments and programs.

The Function of the Sector-Specific Plan

The Sector-Specific Plans purpose is to create priorities and goals for the segment tailored to address their existing environmental risk, for example, the demand to ensure continuity in a staff which is promptly imminent retirement age, risk related to outdated and aging infrastructure as well as climate alterations and the relationship between physical security and cyber security. Representing critical elements of national physical and economic safety, these segments comprise of services which citizens depend on in their routine lives such as communication, chemical, healthcare, financial, transportation, water, energy, food and agriculture which are indispensable services necessary to withstand the economic strength as well as high living standards for the United States citizens (US Department of Homeland Security, 2009). However, my interest is to accentuate on specifically the transportation services contained with the Sector-Specific Plan since no person can overstate the prominence of transportation than label it a country's salvation. That said, the United States transport infrastructure is indisputably known to add efficiency and speed to the nation's progress as it enables proper physical link between the urban and rural areas within the country attributed to the U.S. raid economic progress.

Despite boasting of having one of the largest global transport sector, the U.S transport infrastructure also faces several challenges. Therefore, the Sector-Specific Plan under the transport structure purpose include the definition of the collaboratively constructed tactics aimed to decrease risks associated with the crucial transport systems from the extensive scope of unknown and known terrorism dangers (US Department of Homeland Security, 2009). This is attainable through the implementation and amplification of the Countrywide Infrastructure Protection Policy risk control model which describes the intended procedure to reassure broad contribution in risk-minimization verdict-making actions. The main purpose is the creation of established initiatives and programs which decrease the sector's greatest substantial threats in a cost-effective, practical and efficient means (US Department of Homeland Security, 2009).

References

Braxton, B. (2013). Critical infrastructure protection (Doctoral dissertation, Utica College).

Common cyber-security vulnerabilities observed in control system assessments by the INL NSTB program (2008), Department of Energy. Retrieved from: http://energy.gov/oe/downloads/common-cyber-security-vulnerabilities-observed-control-system-assessments-inl-nstb

Lewis, T. (2004). Critical infrastructure: Vulnerability analysis and protection, SCADA structure. 17 minute video: https://www.chds.us/coursefiles/cip/lectures/scada/cip_SCADA/player.html

US Department of Homeland Security. (2009). National Infrastructure Protection Plan, 2009.