Discussion Questions: Discuss the unique characteristics and
Discussion Questions: Discuss the unique characteristics and risk landscape of the Communications and Information Technology sectors. How are the public and private sectors being coordinated to assist in securing these sectors?Required ReadingsDHS CIP: Read all subsections such as overview, specific plan, resources, and training sections (if applicable) within each sector below:1. Communications Sector2. Information Technology Sector3. Lewis, T.G. (2014). Critical Infrastructure Protection in Homeland Security: Defending a Networked Nation. (Read Chapter 5, 6, 7, 8, 9)You must separate each aspect of the question into different paragraphs and incorporate headers to differentiate the various aspects. Failure to do so may result in a loss of points.Instructions: Fully utilize the materials that have been provided to you in order to support your response. Your initial post must be at least 350 words. You also must respond to at least two other student’s initial postings and these responses must be a minimum of 150 words and include direct questions. You may challenge, support or supplement another student’s answer using the terms, concepts and theories from the required readings. Also, do not be afraid to respectfully disagree where you feel appropriate; as this should be part of your analysis process at this academic level.Forum posts are graded on timeliness, relevance, knowledge of the weekly readings, and the quality of original ideas. While proper APA is not required, attribution to sources that informed your posting should be included. Refer to the grading rubric for additional details concerning grading criteria.Student ResponsesStudent #1 Benjamin CommunicationsThe communications sector consists of three distinct networks: landlines, wireless, and extraterrestrial. These three networks are each individually vulnerable to attack, but provide redundancies to each other. The communications sector is owned and operated by private entities. These companies are regulated by an array of government agencies, such as the FCC. However, these agencies are regulatory in nature. Because of this, the private sector plays a much larger role in the protection of the infrastructure that makes this sector run. Communications is critically important for other sectors, and in the response and recovery of any terrorist attacks. The anecdote in Lewis this week about Iridium satellite phones being used around ground zero illustrates this point well (2014). Without the redundancy of networks, that capability would not have existed and recovery efforts would have ground to a halt.There are a variety of threats facing the communications sector, but they can be broken down into a few categories: Physical, Cyber, and high-powered microwave (HPM) attacks. Physical threats could be terrorist bombings, or trees falling onto phone lines. Cyber threats are things such as hackers and viruses, while HPM would be a manufactured device that could be concealed in something as small as a briefcase and used to destroy critical nodes (Lewis, 2014).Information TechnologyIn the modern world, people rely increasingly on the IT sector for many things in their life. The IT sector is another critical infrastructure sector that is largely privately owned. Some of the challenges that face this sector include the fact that it is largely virtual; where other sectors feature physical, brick and mortar infrastructure that can be guarded or walled in. There are six critical functions of the IT sector according to the sector specific plan: Provide IT products and Services, Provide Domain Name Resolution Services , Provide Internet based Content, Information, and Communications Services, Provide Internet Routing, Access, and Connection Services , Provide Incident Management Capabilities, and to provide identity management. It seems to me that in many ways, the IT sector provides another layer of redundancy to emergency responders should communications fail during an emergency. However, much more than emergency communications is hosted over the internet nowadays; banking, commerce of all descriptions, government information, and other things are all handled over the internet, making IT extremely important to all walks of life. ReferenceDepartment Of Homeland Security. (2016). Information Technology Sector-Specific Plan An Annex to the NIPP 2013. Retrieved from https://www.cisa.gov/sites/default/files/publications/nipp-ssp-information-technology-2016-508.pdfLewis, T. G. (2014). Critical infrastructure protection in homeland security, enhanced edition : Defending a networked nation. Retrieved from https://ebookcentral.proquest.comStudent # 2 EricDiscuss the unique characteristics and risk landscape of the Communications and Information Technology sectors.I will start by saying I never realized the vast complexity associated with domestic and international communications. The sheer size and various components required for the smooth operation of the communication and IT sectors leaves many vulnerabilities available for exploitation. With over 3500 satellites in orbit, undersea cables, traditional POTS copper and optical lines which are the backbone of the entire communication system, cell towers, 18 domestic Nodes and carrier hotels there are many targets available. Each of these poses unique challenges and opportunities for a would-be attacker. After reading our textbook I think we should work as hard as possible to harden these vulnerabilities. God forbid Al Qaeda, or the likes thereof conducted a complex attack targeting our domestic communication infrastructure at multiple sites simultaneously, the resulting fallout would be disastrous because the Communication and IT Sectors overlap and support many other sectors. Another concern on the horizon is cyber exploitation similar to STUXNET, given the interconnectivity of the triple layered Communication Sector such an attack could spread and compromise all three components through inadequate IT security. An exploitation like STUXNET would turn our perceived safety through redundancy into a real nightmare. STUXNET was developed by an NSA hacker team in conjunction with Israel and was used to target the Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition software at an Iranian nuclear site. The STUXNET attack resulted in about one thousand damaged centrifuges (Zetter, 2014). The U.S. Government has enacted several laws pertaining to the Communication Sector to mitigate such an attack.How are the public and private sectors being coordinated to assist in securing these sectors?The 1934 Communications Act created the Federal Communication Commission and was the first of many government interventions within the Communication Sector. The 1934 Act effectively created an environment that allowed monopolization of the Communication Sector. President Kennedy signed an Executive Order in 1963 resulted in the creation of the National Communication System (NCS) after the Cuban Missile Crisis. President Reagan signed Executive Order 12382 which created the NSTAC, another oversight agency which reports directly to the President. The next round of government mandated regulation came with the Telecom Act of 1996, this reshaped the structure of the Communication Sector from a monopoly to a regulated and competitive oligopy (Lewis, 2014). Additionally, the 1996 Act led to the consolidation of companies involved in communication which resulted in the creation of carrier hotels. This consolidation does come with benefits for private companies, they can control access to their sites and monitor with CCTV; however, I see this consolidation as an advantageous target for the HPM technology we read about.Additional legislation was enacted when President Obama signed Executive Order 13618; however, it is highly likely that more legislation and even more 3 or 4 letter agencies will be created adding to the already complex landscape of oversight and regulation of the Communication and IT Sectors. And yes, an internet search revealed that President Trump Signed the Secure and Trusted Communications Networks Act. This Act prohibits federal funds from being used to purchase telecom infrastructure, from companies that pose a national security threat, and it creates a reimbursement program for companies who have already invested in equipment from the perceived threat company.I look forward to your feedback on this post! I think I covered all aspects.-EricReferences:Information Technology Sector. U.S. Department of Homeland Security. Retrieved From:https://www.cisa.gov/information-technology-sectorLewis, Ted G. (2014). Critical Infrastructure Protection in Homeland Security, EnhancedEdition: Defending a Networked Nation. Retrieved From:http://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/apus/detail.action?docID=1813343The White House Fact Sheets. Retrieved From:https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefings-statements/president-donald-j-trump-committed-safeguarding-americas-vital-communications-networks-securing-5g-technology/Zetter, K. (2014). Countdown to Zero Day: STUXNET and the Launch of the World’s FirstDigital Weapon. Crown Publishers. NYC, NY.
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