Cyberspace Security Issues - Coursework Example

? Cyber-Security Cyberspace is a mine field for seekers of information. With every interaction with websites, there would be an increasing demand for personal information. Such have been used by malicious persons for their own gains. Air travel has been hard hit by cyber crime and cyber-security in airports has been a challenge with each passing day. This paper aims at identifying the key areas in international airport internal operations that exposes these airports to cyber attacks. With examples, the paper will show how cyber crimes could be targeted on airport operations. Cyber-security therefore becomes an important aspect in this industry but it comes with its limitations. No matter the limitations, the benefits that come along with this are incomparable. The paper will outline what measures need to be undertaken by airport authorities and other concerned parties to keep cyber crime at bay. Some of the measures taken by some players in the airline industry will be cited to emphasize on the importance of cyber-security. Introduction The internet has been used for various purposes which include gathering, storage, processing and transfer of vast data amounts, which include sensitive and proprietary personal, transactional and business data. Organizations have heavily depended on computer systems for day-to-day businesses. Even as this capability has been relied more and more by various individuals and organizations, the internet has been plagued by threats of cyber-security. The information available in the internet has been used to create threats to operations of businesses and individuals. These threats evolve with the expansion of the internet and the risks that come with it continue to grow globally. The United States of America remain to be the hardest hit by cybercrime according to the report on internet crime by Bureau of Justice Assistance (2008). President Obama appreciates the risk involved and articulated reasons why there is need for cooperation between the government and private sector to address them (Oslan, 2010). There is a wide range of cyber attacks. Insider threats form the core perpetrators in computer crimes. According to Vatis, “insiders do not need a great deal of knowledge about computer intrusions” as they posses adequate knowledge on the systems which they attack which allows them to have unrestricted access “to damage the system or to steal system data” (2002, p.3). Criminal groups have also increasingly used cyber intrusions for monetary gains. Vatis gives an example of such a group referred to as ‘Phonemasters’ who were indicted for stealing and accessing federal interest computer and being in possession of access devices for which they were unauthorized. Virus writers also pose a great threat to security in IT. Viruses propagate quickly because of the high speed networks currently available. Anti-virus software available and being careful with attachments would go a long way in curtailing such epidemics. Other cyber attacks emanate from terrorists, hackers and information warfare. Vatis defines cyber attacks as “computer-to-computer attacks carried out to steal, erase, or alter information or to destroy or impede the functionality of the target computer system” (2002, p.10). These could be categorized into three, namely; unauthorized intrusions where the attacker uses hacking techniques to break into a computer or unauthorized access by an insider to accomplish unauthorized tasks in the network; destructive worms or viruses spread through computers using forms of data exchange such as emails causing some parts of the network to lose functionality; and denial of service attacks where a computer would be overloaded with communication thus hampering its functionality. Due to the ever increasing critical business partners connected to customers and partners on the internet, many organizations have been left exposed to cyber attacks. There is no guarantee that malicious acts or intrusions would not happen. But aviation has continued to be the target of choice for terrorists due to its internationalization in customer and system coverage; operations of airlines cover a global scope, particularly for international airports. In fact, Oslan observed that there is at least one cyber crime reported daily (2010). But when such malicious acts happen, what matters is the speed to realize, analyze and respond in a way that would limit damage or lower recovery cost. Cyber-security and international airport internal operations According to Swafford (2011), the security challenges in air travel are enormous now more than ever before. Following the terrorist attack of 11th September, 2001, there was a worldwide revolution on security and airport security experienced significant change. The governments overhauled security mechanisms with the aim of protecting nations and citizens. With airlines, there are various failure points that cause security job to be hard-hitting. These interest points include passenger screening, aircraft security, baggage screening, human behavior and credentials. Malware have been reported to affect baggage systems in private networks, botnet has affected public safety and airport coordination centers and hackers have hacked into important files (Swafford, 2011). The logistics get more complex with international airports as this would depend on security measures of other countries. Therefore, if international air travel should be safe, then there is need for cooperation among countries so as to protect human life and their citizens which is the common goal. Security in airline industry is crucial bearing in mind that there are billions of people travelling in and out of various countries every day. As these people move from one airport to another, it would only take a single breach of security to put the lives of the rest at risk. Milhorn (2007) gives an example of a scam in Los Angeles where a man used websites to advertise services to assist immigrants into America. He provided false or counterfeit documents to victims. This was a window that exposed America to a myriad of attacks. The scam was however unearthed and the culprit sentenced to 87 months in prison. Swafford (2011) categorizes threats as either intentional or unintentional, but no matter the form of threat, airport security should be ready to combat any occurrence within a short notice. With cyber-security, there are four main domains that seek to be protected, these are confidentiality which involve protection of unauthorized information access; integrity which involves prevention of unauthorized theft or modification of information; availability entails access to authorized information; and non-repudiation which would prevent denying an action that occurred or claiming an action that did not occur (Vatis, 2001). International airport operations The operations of any international airport and the concerned parties have the responsibility to the physical aspect of operations and to those who travel through these airports. Swafford (2011) categorizes these operations into three, namely; daily operations, technical operations and management operations. Daily operations encompass the aspect where people would conduct their daily activities at their workplaces. Here, security arises as a result of travelers entering the airport by vehicles or when they arrive by aircraft. Personnel in the airport would always be monitored using surveillance cameras. Video and audio surveillance also deter those with the intention to cause harm. Other than being used in legal matters, these could also be used to improve on training. To process passengers and their baggage, there are various systems to be utilized so as to make sure that the tickets and credentials of passengers are valid before clearance to fly. Due to their high priority, these systems would be protected using intrusion systems such as physical security for server vaults and firewalls. It would even be more important to ensure redundancy for key systems. There should be load balancing of computer equipment so as to make sure that workload is distributed to ensure maintenance of operations even when a server goes offline. Employees should also be subjected to security measures such as enforcing use of swipe cards by all employees to enter to areas restricted to the public. These cards provide acceptable access control but there is need to enhance this further with the use of iris scanners to supplement control access despite the cost involved. Use of Verified Identity Pass could also be used to make conventional security protocol quicker (Bureau of Justice Assistance, 2008). Areas using this technology also perform iris scanning and fingerprint scanning for confirmation. This could be replicated at other internal operational checkpoints so as to allow only authorized entry. Actions riding on Information Technology systems constitute technical operations in airport operations. The most noticeable of these are the full body scanners. This involves use of Advanced Imaging Technology which Swafford (2011) likens to x-ray machines used in hospitals. The image of the person taken would then be analyzed for existence of any threats. Card readers and biometric controls also constitute a significant part of technical operations. These ensure that there is only authorized access and entry in airports. Lastly, operations could also involve decision makers in an airport institution including managers, supervisors and other persons with responsibility over others. This is referred to as management operation and it encompasses supervision, risk analysis and oversight in both IT systems and personnel. The persons involved have to ensure that in the course of duty, each person follow proper procedures. These managers and supervisors are the first defense line and are pegged with training and educating new staff and existing employees on procedures and policy. Protection against cyber attacks According to (Bouvier, 2008), attacks on airports could inflict mass casualties and could also cause grave economic damage, attracting considerable public attention due to the effect on modern transport system. Airlines and airport managements have taken strict measures to ensure that they do not fall victim of cyber attacks. Boeing understands the magnitude of loss that could result from cyber attacks and has acquired Narus which is renowned for providing real time network traffic and also analytics software that would offer protection against cyber attacks targeting large Internet Protocol networks (Oslan, 2010). This acquisition would give Boeing the capability to improve its network visibility, detect threats and cyber-security. There is need to install updated antivirus and firewall protection which would block intruders from accessing unauthorized information. Some firewalls like Norton Internet Security from Symantec could cause computers to stealth and hence prevent hackers from detecting that the user is online. Employees should be educated on basic protection mechanisms such as use of strong passwords, concealing their information in chat rooms, scan all email attachments and download cautiously. Airport security has also adopted open-source information. Before the 9/11 terrorist attack, information sharing groups such as the US Airport Law Enforcement Agencies Network, ALEAN, facilitated exchange of information. But this privilege has now been left for law enforcement practitioners and managers only. THREATCOM network of Florida was also formed to share information with authorized persons regarding any terrorist threats. Secure Florida was also created to make sure that its information systems are safeguarded and reduce cyber attacks vulnerability and increase responsiveness to any threats. Such groups have been replicated in many other nations and would be sponsored by everyone including state and federal organizations. Most of them would publish daily status reports of interest to law enforcement agencies and emergency management. Local intelligence has also been significant in combating cyber attacks. Some airport managers would establish groups comprising of federal and local law enforcement agencies that would meet regularly and exchange any local threat information, the position of current operations and any other issues of mutual interest. Employees in airports would be required to fully identify themselves in their tasks and would only act on information from individuals with badges. If given considerable incentives, employees could be important sources of information on suspicious persons or activities. Advantages Cyber-security ensures that employees or contractors leaking sensitive information from an organization would easily be detected. Security technologies enhance the privacy needed for particular information and confidentiality needed for documents being exchanged across the internet. In as much as passwords are meant to secure, there are technologies that further security system when implemented. Such technologies would include data encryption, digital signatures and public keys. The need to cross internal boundaries when trailing cyber attackers could enhance international cooperation which could result to beneficial partnerships. The benefits that come with ensuring cyber-security surpass even the investment on an establishment. Disadvantages Cyber-security comes with its share of imitations. Swafford notes that the average cost of installation of iris scanner is $150,000 (2011). Likewise, other security operations are expensive in terms of financial investment. The targets for cyber attcks would mostly be where the value is high hence high cost of providing cyber-security. Vatis (2002) notes that cyber attackers take advantage of complications involved in cross-border enforcement of law. Typically, cyber investigations involve sites targeted in multiple countries and require trailing of evidence across states and international boundaries. The success of this would depend on the assistance accorded by the involved local authorities. Security check-ups consume a lot of time that could otherwise be spent effectively. Employees that could be utilized in other income generating activities spend a lot of time screening passengers and their baggage. Those in the security department would be studying the systems to detect any threats. Others would be patrolling sensitive areas to ensure security is maintained. Swafford (2011) notes that the scanners used in security depend on the hardware used, software installed and electrical power. In case of loss of electricity or defect in hardware or software the reason for having security installations could be jeopardized. However, Bouvier (2008) argues that airports should have appropriate power supplies in case of power outage and appropriate back-up computer systems. It would be equally important to check on the physical hardware with regard to environmental and access control. Access control would be addressed easily using biometric controls or card readers. The former would be more appropriate because with the latter, access cards could be lost. The body scanners in airports use strong X-rays which penetrate body organs. These equipment are a health hazard and should in fact be operated by licensed professionals only. X rays could damage body calls and DNA and could also cause coronary heart disease and cancer. Doctors have voiced their concern for the full body scanners as they expose skin to concentrated amounts of radiation that alters DNA and consequently increases risk of cancer and mutate sperms in males. Vatis (2002) observed the problem of transience with cyber-security. According to this researcher, digital evidence would call for expeditious response as opposed to what has been the practice with traditional systems on international matters. System administrators and internet service providers look forward to discarding any information that is not needed so as to save storage cost. Hence, if historical transactional data could easily be lost if not preserved. Hackers could even go back to the network and completely erase their trail. There are also few countries which are prepared to respond appropriately to cyber crimes. Despite there being an improvement on this, there is still a deficiency in criminal laws on computer crimes hence such countries lack the necessary authority to investigate and prosecute such crimes. Conclusion Cyber-security in airports is not easy to accomplish as it requires massive investment in personnel and infrastructure. Being a vital component of modern security, the security of physical facilities must be strengthened. Employees should also perform above reproach and the infrastructure must ensure restricted access as required, environmental controls and installation of secondary power options. Malicious cyber activity could lead to concrete economic and political consequences. The federal government understands the importance that this issue holds and has formulated policies on the same other than ensuring funding is available. It is therefore the role of employees of international airports to ensure that security is maintained to the latter. References Bouvier, P. (2008). Airport Infrastructures Security towards Global Security: A Holistic Security Risk Management Approach. Velizy Cedex, France: Thales Security Solutions & Services Division. Bureau of Justice Assistance (2008). 2008 Internet Crime Report. National White Collar Crime Center. Milhorn, H. T. (2007). Cybercrime: How to Avoid Becoming a Victim. Boca Raton, Florida: Universal Publishers. 171 - 2. Oslan, G. (2010, July 8). Boeing acquires Narus to Protect against cyber-attacks. Government Security News: Massapequa Park, New York: World Business Media, LLC. Retrieved 15 February, 2012 from www.gsnmagazine.com Swafford, S. (2011, June 29). International Airport Cyber Security Challenges: Radical Development. Retrieved 15 February 2012 from http://radicaldevelopment.net/international-airport-cyber-security-challenges/ Vatis, M. (2002). Cyber Attacks: Protecting America’s Security Against Digital Threats. ESDP Discussion Paper. John F. Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University. Read More