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Infrastructure is effectively what makes a nation run. It encompasses the people, places, and things necessary to deliver critical services and goods. The US Department of Homeland Security often abbreviates critical infrastructure as CIKR (Critical Infrastructure and Key Resources) and defines CIKR as consisting of, “the assets of the United States essential to the nation's security, public health and safety, economic vitality, and way of life,” including “power grids and water filtration plants; national monuments and government facilities; telecommunications and transportation systems; chemical facilities” (“CIKR,” 2009, par.1). Although the majority of CIKR is privately owned, according to DHS, the government still has a vital protective role to ensure it works correctly.
Cybersecurity
Although the Internet was still in a relatively primitive stage when DHS was first established, the online element of the nation’s critical infrastructure cannot be underestimated and has seismically grown in its importance. People trust a tremendous amount of vital data to make payments and conduct transactions in private enterprise. “We are in an era where there is no such thing as a ‘secure’ password; even the most complex password is still a ‘shared secret’ that the application and the user both need to...
The government also has entrusted a tremendous amount of vital data itself online and more and more information is stored in the so-called cloud, not even in physical computer hardware. This makes information more accessible, but also easier to log into, steal, and manipulate if hackers have the right tools and knowledge.
Tapping into or disrupting the nation’s cyber infrastructure can bring commerce and government to a standstill, as well as potentially yield a source of revenue to terrorists, hackers, and common criminals in the form of information. When people’s Internet services as disrupted or their identity is impinged upon, this is also tremendously disruptive to their sense of personal security, given the extent to which jobs as well as daily routines are dependent upon the Internet.
Financial Services
Tied into threats to the infrastructure, the relative security of our nation’s financial services is likewise critical. The financial disruption caused in the wake of the 2008 crash had a chilling impact on both investment and employment. Again, technology infrastructure has an impact in terms of governing the evolution of this sector. Automated programmed trading has made financial volatility a daily reality, and “lightning-fast trading models, automated sell orders…
Critical Infrastructure Protection Nowadays, computers have become very ubiquitous in the American society. Computers and related technologies are used at every level of government in the United States. Computer technologies are also used by all sorts of professionals, and private citizens to access information, store information, communicate, and/ or transform acquired information. Right now, there are also computer-dependent technologies that are used to monitor and control, critical transportation systems, water treatment
Synopsis Because the majority of critical infrastructure components in the United States are privately owned, compliance with Department of Homeland Security risk assessment methods remains voluntary. Risk assessments of critical infrastructure focus on threat, vulnerability, and consequences, with all types of assessments integral to helping improve resilience and mitigate problems (GAO, 2017). A vulnerability analysis of the nation’s information technology critical infrastructure reveals several points of weakness and security gaps. The
Critical Infrastructure and Key Resources NIPP (National Infrastructure Protection Plan) offers the necessary structure for coordination, synchronization and integration of activities originating from different pertinent statutes, presidential directives and national strategies for the creation of a combined countrywide approach for the implementation of the protection mission of CIKR (Moteff & Parfomak, 2004). The continuity and protection of CIKR is fundamental for national security, safety, vitality, lifestyle and public health. Critical infrastructure
Published by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) in 2003, authored by President George W. Bush, The National Strategy for the Physical Protection of Critical Infrastructures and Key Assets is the first document of its kind. After September 11 and the creation of the DHS, swift action was taken to synergize national security efforts and interests. The National Strategy redefines the meaning and definition of critical infrastructure and key assets,
Security of the Nation’s Critical Infrastructure Many of the elements of the nation’s critical infrastructure are highly vulnerable to attacks due to remoteness (such as in the case of dams or water treatment facilities), size (such as in the case of water reservoirs) or other attributes of the facilities that can be exploited by terrorists. Because even minor disruptions in the nation’s critical infrastructure can have severe consequences for Americans, identifying
Private Security and Homeland Defense Most of the critical infrastructure in the United States is regulated by the public sector, but owned by the private sector. As a result, protection of U.S. critical infrastructure is a major challenge because of complexities in both the public and private sectors. Moreover, safeguarding critical infrastructure is complicated by the sophisticated and growing assortment of cybersecurity challenges (Brooks par, 2). Given the involvement of the