Cybersecurity issues have been a major issue for a long time that threatens the well-being of national security and that of individuals as well. Cybersecurity experts argue that classified information ought to be well handled because failure to do so can lead to interception or modification of information leading to espionage (Carr, 2011). To protect the national security of America, the Federal Government established coded attack names on attempted attacks to the U.S. government such as Titan Rain and Moonlight Maze that ensures that the national security team can easily identify and mitigate such attacks. The main objective of this project is to explore the idea behind cyber warfare and discuss measures undertaken to mitigate hackers and ensure cyber-related espionages do not occur. For example, it has been established that military activities that rely heavily on computers are vulnerable to cyber information disruption that may lead to espionage among other detrimental issues ( Obama, 2011) . Therefore; the Federal Government has come up with more than a few strategies to deter these incidences from happening which may cause substantial financial losses as well as security risk to the American nation. It is evident that communication, as well as orders transmitted via computers, can easily be intercepted and therefore, imperative measures have been implemented to deter such cases which could cripple the security and financial well-being of America (Carr, 2011).
Thesis Statement
The concept of deterrence does apply to cyber warfare for the following reasons; (1) there are successful deterrent strategies that apply to the cyber domain, (2) without cyber deterrence nations, such as the USA, are at increased risk for cyberattacks and (3) with the ever-changing nature of the cyberworld, deterrence is essential in enhancing cybersecurity to protect vital information as well as technological infrastructures.
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The threat of Cyber Warfare
Research on cyber warfare reveals that the influx of hackers is slowly taking advantage of today's interdependent world and can cause a major threat to national security as well as the financial stability of America. Cyberwar is a major threat to the American national security as well as a democracy because hackers can easily steal information about the government and establish a substantial espionage that may lead to crumbling of the American powers and dominance in the world (Harknett & Nye Jr. 2017).
Cyberwarfare can cause substantial damages such as the national security threat, loss of finances as well as emotional distress. Cyberwarfare mainly includes a threat to any humanitarian services such as train transportation, financial online transactions, as well as obstruction of democracy among other things and therefore, the quest to mitigate these threats in arguably inevitable which is why the Federal Government offers a few mitigation strategies of any cyber-related criminal activity (Dobson, Rege & Carley, 2018).
Identity theft has been cited as one of the most troubling cases of cyber warfare and cybercrime. Hackers are using the advantage of computers and the internet to steal from innocent citizens by cloning their bank cards and withdrawing a substantial amount of money from them or make lucrative purchases using a credit card of an innocent person. Cyber attackers usually start their espionage attempts by robbing banks whereby, a person can wake up one day only to realize their bank account has been robbed and their balance is zero before they can move to the next level of attacking government information. For example; research on cyber warfare indicates that hackers may alter the stock prices data as well as train signals which can heavily disrupt the normal human activities hence, causing major financial as well as emotional losses not only to the target individual but also; to the national government (Harknett & Nye Jr. 2017).
Cyber Attack Deterrence
There has been increased reliability of computer systems and this can be used by hackers to cause a major gridlock as well as chaos such as disrupting stock exchange data, the national electricity grid, and other essential basic needs as well as disrupt military operations. Based on this; the cyber warfare crime prevention offers more than a few deterrence measures that financial institutions, as well as individuals, can apply to mitigate these menaces ( Obama, 2011) . For example; the cybercrime prevention unit says that it is imperative for anyone using computer systems to ensure that they constantly change their default passwords and most importantly, making the password complicated and uneasy to crack. Repeated usage of default passwords are vulnerable to hacking and therefore; cyber-crime prevention experts insist that it is imperative to ensure that passwords are constantly changed as well as updating of antivirus software in these machines (Dobson, Rege & Carley, 2018). Besides; it is arguably important to ensure that computer machines are always connected to the internet when necessary as well as making sure you have a back-up for crucial information in case of a cyber-attack. Research indicates that these measures can make it harder for hackers to penetrate through such systems hence, keeping the military operations safe ( Obama, 2011) .
Making the cost of any potential hacking activity too high is one of the conventional strategies of mitigating cyber-related cases. There have been numerous strategies that have been implemented in an attempt to deter cyberwarfare such as securing military financial as well as individual computers so hard that it is impossible for hackers to penetrate. Cyberwarfare requires ultimate policy measures according to Obama (2011) such as stiffer sanctions as well as threat to strike back and criminal investigations that attract a substantial time in prison. In the quest curb the menace of cyber-criminal activities, Obama (2011) cited that it is about time stiffer penalties were implemented that would deter cybercriminal from their criminally intrinsic minds that would attract a long time in jail as well as the possibility of retaliation regarding any activity related to cyber-crimes. Cyber-criminal activities according to Obama (2011) not only threaten military operation and the security of the national government but also, to the democracy of the country. This is because hackers can be used to alter election results which may cause major tension between the two countries. Therefore, stiffer measures have been implanted to counter these activities such as naming as well as shaming of individuals suspected to be the origin of such activities and indicting them as well (Harknett & Nye Jr. 2017).
Overall, it is apparent that cyber warfare continues to cause a major stir when it comes to the national security and therefore, stiffer measures ought to be taken against hackers or anyone deemed to be responsible for such acts. To protect citizens as well as the national security of America, the Federal Government recognized coded attack names on attempted attacks to the U.S. government such as Titan Rain and Moonlight Maze that ensures that the national security team can certainly identify and moderate such attacks (Carr, 2011). One of the countermeasures that the national cybercrime-unit has undertaken is by imposing stiffer investigative measures that can lead to indictment and a long time in prison. Cyberwarfare is indeed a major issue that not only affects the national security but also, pose fundamental security and financial risk to innocent citizens in America which is why it is imperative to have good counter-measures that would deter hackers from attempting this activity. For example; people should be advised on how to have stronger passwords as well as constantly up-date or change them and also, have effective antivirus software. In addition, anyone using computer systems that are connected to the internet are highly advised to ensure they are only connected to the internet wherever they are using their machines or smiley active online which would make it hard for hackers to penetrate through their systems (Harknett & Nye Jr. 2017). In addition, stiffer sanctions as well as threat to strike back and criminal investigations that appeal to a considerable time in prison should be put in place to curb the menace of cyber-criminal activities. Lastly, there is need to ensure that humanitarian needs are not compromised by enforcing stiffer penalties such as long time in prison and hefty, fines for any cybercrime-related criminal activities which would most definitely deter such criminal activities.
Bibliography
Carr, J. (2011). Inside cyber warfare: Mapping the cyber underworld . " O'Reilly Media, Inc.".
Dobson, G., Rege, A., & Carley, K. (2018, March). Virtual Cyber Warfare Experiments Based on Empirically Observed Adversarial Intrusion Chain Behavior. In ICCWS 2018 13th International Conference on Cyber Warfare and Security (p. 174). Academic Conferences and publishing limited.
Harknett, R. J.& Nye Jr. J.S. (2017). Is Deterrence Possible in Cyberspace ? International Security, 42 (2), 196-199.
Obama, B. (2011). International Strategy for Cyberspace: Prosperity, Security, and Openness in a Networked World (Washington, DC: White House, May 2011), 14. Issued in , 11-14.
