WEEK 3

THREAT AND VULNERABILITY ASSESSMENT 7

Threat and Vulnerability

Introduction

Every organization is vulnerable to various risks that are associated with threats. These threats come about because of the natural occurrence, technological or human influences. Irrespective of the risk, the organization has a responsibility of managing the risks. The Transportation and Security Administration (TSA) seeks to implement a risk management plan for these threats. As such, the security officials of TSA, therefore, must determine the vulnerabilities to the possible threats that could impact significantly on the organization.

How the Security Officials Identify Vulnerabilities to Threats

The first stage in determining the vulnerabilities to threats is the evaluation of the possible risks that could impact on TSA. The assessment of the threats looks through the complete spectrum of the threats including terrorism, accidents, natural and criminal (Reniers, 2013). The policies of TSA only address the human-made threats. However, the evaluation should look at the supporting information to assess the likelihood of all the threats.

For the natural threats, historical records regarding the happenings of the disasters such as hurricanes, fires, flood, or earthquakes can be utilized to figure out the vulnerability of the threats. For the risks related to crime, criminal records of the nearby area can be assessed to determine the kind of criminal activity that could threaten the organization. For terrorism, the appeal of the group is a primary indicator of the possibility of terrorists raiding the company. A terrorist aiming to strike TSA is likely to attack the head office where there are many people than the branches of the organization.

Vulnerability Assessment

After the identification of the possible threats, the security officials at TSA can conduct a vulnerability assessment. According to Reniers (2013), a vulnerability assessment looks at the possible effects of the given threat to the organization and the susceptibility of the company to the given threat. The influence of loss is the extent to which a possible attack compromises TSA's mission. The evaluation of the vulnerability correctly defines the scores of the effects of the threats and the loss in the organization.

The Ranking for Vulnerability

Devastating: This means the company can be damaged beyond recognition. If a threat is overwhelming, it says the body is highly vulnerable to the threat and that it can cause great losses to the organization. For instance, properties, assets, and other resources can be damaged beyond repair. This can cause great impacts to the organization and can reduce the number of clients to 75 percent. Severe: For a threat to be serious, that means it can partially cause harmful impacts to the organization. Examples of serious threats include fires, weather, smoke and water that can cause a partial breach to some areas in the body (Yang, 2013). Some of the resources can be destroyed, but the team remains intact. The body may be closed down for a short time to recover the funds and renovate the areas that were damaged. However, after a short period, the operations return to normal. 5O percent of the clients might stop not use the services, but that's only before the organization opens after the repair.

Noticeable: A threat is considered remarkable when it impacts on the organization for a day. This means the facility is not highly susceptible to this kind of threat. A few resources could be destroyed but the team not affected at all. The capacity of the clients will reduce for quite a short time.

Minor: A minor threat does not affect the organization or the assets in it. There could be a downtime for a few hours, but operations go back to usual after mitigation.

Vulnerabilities Associated with Informational, Technological, Natural, and Human-Made Threats

The emerging technologies seem to come with vulnerabilities to the users. The automobiles used in TSA are vulnerable to accidents, social disruption, and environmental degradation. The electronic appliances used at the offices are also susceptible to electromagnetic fields which can disrupt the organization. Information is also vulnerable to the threat of cyber criminals. There is an increasing prevalence of cyber-criminal cases. The terrorist can breach into TSA's database and get the necessary information that they can use to manipulate their ways into stealing or causing injury to the organization. Risks can also occur as a result of technological breakdown.

Similarly, human-made and true threats continue to impend the operations at Transportation Security Administration. The company is striving to improve the scientific approaches to mitigating these risks. The security officials not only characterize the possible risks but also evaluates the vulnerability of these threats to the organization. TSA works with the members of different states to identify and minimize the technological hazards. These accidents are likely to increase due to the continuing change in climate.

Vulnerabilities Associated With Personnel and Work Behaviors

Vulnerability to threats can also occur as a result of the practices of staff. There is a human component that can either cause internal or external threats to the organization. According to Rivera (2015), behaviors such as careless handling of the electrical appliances in the group can lead to great losses. TSA can reduce the vulnerability of these threats due to human behavior by minimizing the insider risks. This can be achieved by undertaking great personnel security follows including evaluation of the risks, screening the employees before employment and continuously screening the employees and other visitors for the safety check.

TSA can also evaluate the vulnerabilities by optimizing the security officials. Most of the untapped security resources come from the employees and visitors. This approach will enable TSA to develop a healthy culture of safety and encourage the employees who could be malicious to change. Finally, TSA can interrupt the hostile investigation. This approach is useful in identifying the obvious people who may cause threats to the organization and develops mitigation strategies. The security system can detect the malicious people that are visiting the team that could have evil plans

The evaluation of the vulnerabilities takes a proactive approach to recognizing the threats are their weaknesses as well as the gaps in the organization and the strategies to reduce or mitigate these risks. The research done at TSA is evident that the threat brought about by the employees is complicated. As such, the organization needs to develop policies and practices that protect the resources that can be threatened. It can also emphasize on the detection, prevention, and the response strategies.

Socio-Economic and Criminal Activity Factors

The socioeconomic factors that can cause vulnerability to TSA include blemishes on the construction of roads. The wrong design of roads can be a significant threat to the business as it increases the chances of accidents (Voss, 2015). The people responsible for this deficiencies are the construction contractors who do not install the road safety signs and traffic lights correctly. Another factor is the improper coning off of the zones of the building. Roads are necessary to facilitate infrastructure and transportation of goods. However, poorly constructed roads can lead to fatal accidents which are a threat to the organization. Similarly, cargo thieves can take advantage of the nature of roads and plan on committing a fraud when the vehicles reach the evil side of the road. Other criminals can target the offices and breach into the information system, causing potential risks to the proper running of the organization.

References

Rivera, F. I., & Kapucu, N. (2015). Disaster Vulnerability, Hazards and Resilience: Perspectives from Florida. Springer.

Reniers, G. L. L., & Dullaert, W. (2013). A method to assess multi-modal Hazmat transport security vulnerabilities: Hazmat transport SVA. Transport policy.

Voss, M., & Lorenz, D. F. (2016). Sociological Foundations of Crisis Communication. The Handbook of International Crisis Communication Research.

Yang, Z., Ng, A. K., & Wang, J. (2013). Prioritising security vulnerabilities in ports. International Journal of Shipping and Transport Logistics.