The establishment of stable cyberspace is a significant role associated with the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) in its bid towards protecting the vitality of the economy and enhancing the national security in the United States. Cyberspace, as well as its connecting infrastructure, faces notable threats, which are often attributed to physical and cyber threats. It is a common occurrence for the key stakeholders to take advantage of the existing vulnerabilities in the cyberspace as a way of gathering information or even engaging in activities that may impact on the development of a country. From this perspective, it is clear that indeed cybersecurity is a crucial aspect of consideration towards determining effectiveness in building homeland security. The focus of this report is to make an analysis of the role cyber-security within the homeland security enterprise and discuss the relationship between cyber-security and the critical national infrastructure concerning protection.
Role of Cyber-Security Within the Homeland Security Enterprise
The Homeland Security Enterprise (HSE) consists of institutions and agencies, which are all geared towards attack prevention in the United States, which is likely to affect the American people. One of the critical areas that have been seen as necessary for the HSE, especially with the advancement of technology is cybersecurity. Every year, the United States encounters a wide array of threats from foreign governments, terrorist organizations, and individual cyber actors that are focused on causing havoc within the country's cyberspace. It is from this perspective that the HSE is specifically towards ensuring that the country’s interests and assets are well protected to avoid possible implications associated with the cyberattacks targeting the United States.
Delegate your assignment to our experts and they will do the rest.
The following is an in-depth analysis of some of the underlying roles associated with cybersecurity as it relates to the HSE:
Cybersecurity Risk Management
One of the leading characters related to cybersecurity within the context of the HSE is the management of cybersecurity risks as one of the ways through which to minimize overall effects that are likely to arise from possible cyberattacks. An analysis of the HSE's cybersecurity approach suggests that it is mainly focused on engaging in a risk assessment of the cyberspace with the intention being towards achieving the best possible outcomes. Cybersecurity is seen as being of great value in determining the steps that the DHS is taking as part of its strategic approach to dealing with cybersecurity risks (Lewis, 2019). The results of the assessment aid in the development of an effective risk management plan, which is specifically targeted at minimizing possible implications associated with cyberattacks. Additionally, the results of the assessment also inform some of the critical steps that the DHS is likely to take as a way of improving the cybersecurity environment.
Protecting Critical Infrastructure
An assessment of the cyber threats that the United States has been facing over the years indicates that most of the risks have been targeted at the country's critical infrastructure including its transport system, electricity infrastructure, and water and communications systems among others. The DHS has identified 16 sectors of the economy that are most vulnerable to cyberattacks, which are most protected to minimize the possibility of successful attacks that are likely to have serious implications (Min, Chai, & Han, 2015). HSE's adoption of a cybersecurity strategy has been seen as one of the critical approaches through which to ensure that the department is well-positioned to protect the country's critical infrastructure. Correctly, cybersecurity played a crucial role in the detection of possible threats targeting prime infrastructure; thus, allowing the DHS to institute effective measures to deal with the same.
Stemming the Loss of Data
In recent years, companies operating within the United States have experienced a massive loss of data, which has been attributed to cyberattacks by other nation-states, especially North Korea and Russia. Some of the companies that have been most affected include Sony, JP Morgan Chase, AshleyMadison.com, and Anthem. From this perspective, it is essential to take note of the fact that the HSE's cybersecurity structure is designed with the sole purpose being towards stemming such cases of where companies experience immense loss of data. The cybersecurity strategy that has been put in place by the DHS is focused on protecting the cyberspace within the United States to avoid such cases where data is lost cyberattacks (Min, Chai, & Han, 2015).
How Cyber-Security Relates to National Critical Infrastructure and its Protection
The critical roles discussed is that cybersecurity plays a crucial role in protecting critical infrastructure in the country from possible cyber threats. That seems to suggest that indeed cybersecurity is one of the essential aspects that define the security of the National Critical Infrastructure within the context of the United States. The National Critical Infrastructure refers to both physical and cyber systems and assets that are of great value towards defining the physical and economic positioning of the United States. A successful attack on the National Critical Infrastructure creates a situation where a country will experience debilitating impacts on its economy, safety, and public health, among others.
Cybersecurity is one of the primary key aspects that has been included as part of the National Critical Infrastructure Protection Plan developed by the DHS, as this is an approach that seeks to ensure that the country protects itself from possible cyberattacks (Baggett, Foster, & Simpkins, 2017). The plan highlights some of the critical steps that the DHS is taking as part of maximizing on its approaches towards protecting the country's infrastructure with the sole intention being to minimize possible successes in cyberattacks. The DHS recognizes the fact that a significant number of cyber actors may use cyberattacks to cripple the defence systems within the United States. From this point of view, the DHS has paid close attention to its cybersecurity strategy, which is evaluated for effectiveness in seeking to protect the country's critical infrastructure.
Cybersecurity relates to the issue of enhancing the safety of the National Critical Infrastructure through the strategic approach that the DHS is taking to ensure that it digitizes and automates some of the essential systems. The idea is having these systems tied into the most extensive network that is well protected from unauthorized access; thus, allowing for reduced possibilities in seeking to reduce the effectiveness of cyberattacks. The cybersecurity strategy adopted by the DHS has outlined the main measures that the department is expected to take as a way of ensuring that it builds on the security of the network within which the systems operate. Additionally, the strategy also provides deep insight into some of the critical steps that the DHS is expected to take as part of evaluating vulnerabilities of the systems.
An evaluation of vulnerabilities is essential, considering that it will aid in the identification of potential loopholes that cyber actors are likely to use to their advantage when conducting a cyberattack. The DHS regularly updates the country's cybersecurity strategy as a way of ensuring that it maintains some level of success in preventing attacks, which are especially common from other nation-states (Teoh & Mahmood, 2017). The updates are focused explicitly on outlining how the DHS is expected to restructure security framework adopted as part of the cyberspace to minimize possible risks. The effects associated with the use of the cybersecurity strategy can be seen from the fact it has helped towards limiting access for companies such as China and Russia, both of which have made inroads in seeking to breach some of the critical infrastructures in the country.
Cybersecurity is an issue that is associated with the Homeland Security Enterprise (HSE) is seeking to establish stable and robust cyberspace that is aimed at protecting economic vitality and national security of the United States. The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has a critical role to play in developing the country cybersecurity strategy, which defines the measures and steps that the DHS is taking as a way of reducing cyberattacks from cyber actors and other nation-states. The leading roles associated with cybersecurity as it relates to the HSE are the management of cybersecurity risks, protect the country’s infrastructure, and stemming the loss of data. Cybersecurity is also considered as being somewhat crucial in ensuring that the country's National Critical Infrastructure, as it provides insight into some of the critical steps and measures that the DHS is expected to take in its bid towards protecting critical infrastructure.
References
Baggett, R. K., Foster, C. S., & Simpkins, B. K. (Eds.). (2017). Homeland Security Technologies for the 21st Century . ABC-CLIO.
Lewis, T. G. (2019). Critical infrastructure protection in homeland security: defending a networked nation . John Wiley & Sons.
Min, K. S., Chai, S. W., & Han, M. (2015). An international comparative study on cybersecurity strategy. International Journal of Security and Its Applications , 9 (2), 13-20.
Teoh, C. S., & Mahmood, A. K. (2017). National cybersecurity strategies for the digital economy. In 2017 International Conference on Research and Innovation in Information Systems (ICRIIS) (pp. 1-6). IEEE.
