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Simulation Extension: Safeguard and Secure Cyberspace

Tracy Owens

HLS 499, Homeland Security Capstone

June 26, 2019

Simulation Extension: Safeguard and Secure Cyberspace

The Department of Homeland Security role has been growing owing to the increasing pool of threats from local and international actors. One of the emerging mission areas is that of "safeguard and secure cyberspace." The cybersecurity concern has become one of the significant threats of security since criminals can attack from anywhere in the world. The Department of Homeland Security is the leading agency in securing computer systems for the government and private sector stakeholders, including civilians. In the mission, DHS has to work with local, tribal, territorial governments, and the state in securing the vital infrastructure on information systems (DHS 2019, para 2).

The first part of the mission is to analyze and reduce the potential effects of cyber threats. Under the mandate, the Department of Homeland Security responsibility is to work with the stakeholders to patch the vulnerabilities in the information system infrastructure that make them susceptible to cyber-attacks. They will also monitor for threats and distribute the warnings once cyber-threats are identified. In the third mandate, DHS has to assist the stakeholder in responding to cyber-attack events. Their task is to mitigate the impact of the attack and ensure the country’s computer system and other infrastructure are always secure. They also will enlist the services of other federal agencies in tracking the perpetrators of cyber crimes. For international actors, the DHS will mostly seek the help of the Secret Service Agency to track the criminals across international borders since its reach is limited to domestic operations. In 2018, the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) was established to work alongside the federal government in building a maximum defense against cybercrimes. They will provide the cybersecurity tools, incident response services, and assessment capabilities to safeguard the 'gov.' networks that support the essential operations of partner departments and agencies (DHS 2019, p. 1). The CISA main focus is on securing all national networks, fighting and responding to cyber incidents and crimes, providing critical infrastructure protection and cybersecurity governance.

Franklin County’s disaster simulation should add a cyber-attack element in their simulation. One possible threat to Franklin County’s infrastructure is the use of a digital grenade that will inhibit the rescue efforts. Digital grenades are infiltration to the computer networks that remain dormant until the hackers decide to use them against their targets. In many cases are just hired to place the digital grenades with their patron determining the time to attack. Such attacks can target power grids, derail traits, or even cause explosions in nuclear plants (Johnson, 2018 para 3). Franklin County should assume the possibility of having one of the digital grenades in its power grid. A determined patron can quickly attack when the county is focusing on helping flood victims with minimal concern for their cyberspace. Attacking the country during the flood will also have a significant impact since it will stifle rescue efforts and lead to more losses for the county. Franklin County currently depends on constant electricity flow to coordinate rescue efforts and ensure that another infrastructure is working. The simulation should assume that the threat can come from domestic or international terrorists intending to ensure that the floods cause the maximum harm. The threat can also come from local business sections that intent to obtain rebuilding contracts and hence sabotage the rescue efforts to maximize the damage on infrastructure.

The simulation should add roles and responsibility sections that incorporate the functions of cybersecurity personnel. The simulation should offer guidance on how local cybersecurity teams will coordinate with federal agencies in handling the threat. The disaster management director will have to liaise with the cybersecurity team to coordinate rescue efforts. The leader of the cybersecurity rescue team will depend on the extent of the hack and the state legislation. Since the matter is already federal, it will be prudent to allow a representative from the DHS to coordinate all the cybersecurity efforts. The representative will have to represent the cybersecurity response team in the simulations townhall meetings. A chief information officer will be available to communicate the progress of tackling the cyberspace attack (the State of Michigan, cyber disruption response plan (CDRP) 2015, pg. 31). A chief technology officer will be responsible for the state of the IT infrastructure on the duration of the cyber-disruption.

It is also essential to include the secret service and the National Cybersecurity and Communications Integration Center, especially when the incident involves international actors. NCIC will offer assistance to Franklin County in responding to both the cyber-attack impact as well as the physical impact of the attack. The Electronic Crimes Task Force from the Secret service will use their database to determine the origins of the intrusion. It is also essential to include the efforts of the law enforcement officers and the fire department in tackling the issue. The law enforcement officers will have more roles due to the cybercrime, unlike their limited participation in the current simulation.

The simulation will show how the response to the cyberspace attack will happen, and the measure is taken to cope with the incident. At first, the simulation should indicate the response processes during a cyber-attack. It should show the processes taken to form the cyber response team and the mitigation efforts taken. It should also show the approach taken to restore the power grid and return electricity to the county. It is also critical to elaborate on the presence of any backups or any other preparation measures that are present in Franklin County in anticipation of a cyber-attack (Harrop & Matteson, 2015 pg. 149). Another aspect that should be added to the simulation is the way the command center continues to operate without power. It should mention the use of backup generators and auxiliary communication equipment to help coordinate rescue efforts. It is crucial for the simulation to illustrate ways the rescue efforts take alternative measures in response to the power blackout. The simulation can show how the community center will cope with the absence of power in keeping food and warming buildings. It might be prudent to have the simulation include evacuation criteria for the residents considering the effects of the hack (Clark et al., 2015 pg. 52) Also; the simulation should include the steps taken to strengthen the power grid from future attacks after the restoration of service. Ideally, the simulation should show how Franklin County mitigates the impact of the attack on the ongoing flood rescue options and how the county coordinates with federal agencies in fulfilling the DHS mission of "Safeguarding and securing cyberspace."

In a recent incident, Russia hacked the Democratic campaign team for Hilary Clinton to influence the direction of the election. The result of the hack was to lower the credibility of Hillary Clinton as a Democratic candidate and undermine her chances of becoming president. The problem with the attack was that it was some form of a digital grenade. Security agencies have just realized that the cyber-attack on the presidential campaign was not in isolation. Russians had managed to hack into the US power grid and other institutions, including nuclear power plants (Atherton, 2018 para 1). The reported intrusions did not initiate an immediate attack on the infrastructure, but experts believe that it might have led to the theft of critical operational information. The attack shows that Russia and other enemy states can attack the United States from far with the intrusions taking years before detection. At the moment, critical US infrastructure is at risk since an enemy state could have critical information that can b used when attacking the country.

References

Atherton, Kesley. (2018). It’s not just elections: Russia hacked the US electric grid. Retrieved from: https://www.vox.com/world/2018/3/28/17170612/russia-hacking-us-power-grid-nuclear-plants

Clark, R. M., Panguluri, S., Nelson, T. D., & Wyman, R. P. (2017). Protecting drinking water utilities from cyber threats. Journal‐American Water Works Association, 109(2), 50-58.

DHS. (2019). Safeguard and Secure Cyberspace. Retrieved from https://www.dhs.gov/safeguard-and-secure-cyberspace

Harrop, W., & Matteson, A. (2015). Cyber resilience: A review of critical national infrastructure and cyber-security protection measures applied in the UK and USA. In Current and Emerging Trends in Cyber Operations (pp. 149-166). Palgrave Macmillan, London.

Johnson, T. (2018, July 2). Hackers implant digital grenades in industrial networks, Military.com. Retrieved from https://www.military.com/daily-news/2018/07/02/hackers-implant-digital-grenades-industrial-networks.html?ESRC=eb_180703.nl

The state of Michigan, cyber disruption response plan (CDRP) (2015). Retrieved from: https://www.michigan.gov/documents/cybersecurity/120815_Michigan_Cyber_Disruption_Response_Plan_Online_VersionA_507848_7.pdf