In today’s world that is marked by heavy usage of computers, gadgets, and wireless networking technologies, as perfectly exemplified by the World Wide Web or simply the internet, digital crime or cybercrime has been becoming a more and more common occurrence. Digital crime can be committed by one person against another person and can be as simple as the act of hacking a person’s password and using it to commit fraudulent acts. It may also be committed by one country against another, or in this case, one country against the United States, the subject country for this paper and can be as big as the act of accessing classified and or top secret information and forms of cyber terrorism such as the manipulation of data or the downing of computer systems and web platforms .
A larger percentage of United States departments and agencies, be it security related or not have already resorted to using the World Wide Web to increase the efficiency and effectiveness of their operations. The problem with using this technology, however, is the fact that they can be vulnerable from external, although non-physical, attacks. Information that are not meant to be shared to people may also be exposed in these government agencies and departments’ websites and or servers and then become vulnerable to attacks, during which classified information may be stolen or worse, be falsified.
The government has recently publicly recognized the threat that pervasive and sustained cyber-attacks perpetrated by other countries against the United States imposes on both federal and non-federal systems , and even on business operations and on the lives of private individuals. It would be safe to say that at least for the past ten years, the U.S. government has become considerably more dependent on the use of information technology and systems and networked operations to fulfill its duties and responsibilities. One major consequence of that increased level of dependence was proportionally increased level of exposure to threats and vulnerabilities to cyber security. Cyber security, nonetheless, is a relatively new aspect of security, something which not a lot of government departments are built to understand or be excellent at yet.
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS), for example, has been created as a response to the series of bombings that occurred in 9/11 and has been given the mandate to protect the country from the many threats it would face in the future. During that time, the real extent of the threat of cybercrimes and cyber terrorism to the nation’s security has not yet been that apparent. This is why as of this moment; the government remains vulnerable to a lot of cyber security threats. The same is, in fact, true for other security-related agencies such as the Secret Service, the CIA (Central Intelligence Agency), the FBI (Federal Bureau of Investigation), the DS (Bureau of Diplomatic Security), and the DOJ (Department of Justice), among others.
These security-related departments and agencies are practically independent of one another, although at some point, especially if the situation calls for it, can work together and integrate whatever information or resources they hold to accomplish a common objective. Their independence from one another can, in fact, be a weakness that perpetrators of cybercrimes against the United States can exploit to more easily commit cybercrimes and instances of cyber terrorism.
What is common among these departments and agencies, however, is the fact that they are all subject to cyber threats; their operations are also vulnerable to such. So, in case a widespread cyber-attack breaks out and only a handful of these government agencies are prepared, those who were unable to do so would be severely affected. In a worst-case scenario even those that who did would also be affected. The truth about these agencies and departments is that despite being practically independent, they are still connected.
In order to combat the possible harmful effects and or consequences of having an unconsolidated or poorly integrated anti-cybercrime and cyber-terrorism effort or program, the U.S. government should start to consider creating a department that is solely dedicated to cyber threats, crimes, terrorism, and other illegal activities that may be performed over the internet or any network, just like what the government did when it established the DHS as a response to the 9/11 series of attacks. Doing so would basically preserve the independent relationship that exists between the security-related agencies we mentioned, among others, and at the same time directly address the issues and threats that expose all of them in various cyber-related vulnerabilities.
References
Alexander, G. (2010). US Cyber Command, Remarks at Center for Strategic and International Studies Policy Debate Series. Springer.
Kay, D., Pudas, T., & Young, B. (2012). Preparing the Pipeline: The U.S. Cyber Workforce for the Future. National Defense University Fort McNair DC Institute for National Strategic Studies, 17.
