Article Critique Cyber Weapons

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Singer, P. W. (2015). Stuxnet and its hidden lessons on the ethics of cyberweapons. Case Western Reserve Journal of

International Law, 47(3), 79–86. Retrieved from https://libraryresources.columbiasouthern.edu/login?

url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true...

Write an article critique that begins by addressing the following questions:

What is Stuxnet, and what set it apart from other potential threats?

How did Stuxnet get around standard computer operating systems?

Then continue with your article critique by analyzing the strengths and weaknesses of the article by addressing the following

items:

Do you agree or disagree that Stuxnet could be considered a cyber weapon? Could nations consider this type of attack

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UNIT VI STUDY GUIDE Digital Weapons and Cyberwarfare Course Learning Outcomes for Unit VI Upon completion of this unit, students should be able to: 6. Assess terrorist technological threats to homeland security. 6.1 Explain what constitutes digital warfare. 6.2 Discuss the implications of using cyber weapons in warfare. Course/Unit Learning Outcomes 6.1 6.2 Learning Activity Unit Lesson Chapter 7 Reading Klein Article Tatar Article DHS Video NatGeo Video Unit VI Article Critique Unit Lesson Chapter 7 Reading Klein Article Tatar Article DHS Video NatGeo Video Unit VI Article Critique Reading Assignment Chapter 7: Cybersecurity Threats and Technology Applications in Homeland Security Additional Reading Assignments: To access and read the following library resources, click the links provided below. The following article will be required to complete this unit’s assignment. The link to the article will also be available in the assignment instructions in Blackboard. Klein, J. J. (2015). Deterring and dissuading cyberterrorism. Journal of Strategic Security, 8(4), 23–38. Retrieved from https://libraryresources.columbiasouthern.edu/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=tr ue&db=tsh&AN=112158696&site=ehost-live&scope=site Tatar, Ü., Çalık, O., Çelik, M., & Karabacak, B. (2014, March 24–25). A comparative analysis of the national cyber security strategies of leading nations. Proceedings of the 9th International Conference on Cyber Warfare and Security, 211–218. Retrieved from https://libraryresources.columbiasouthern.edu/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=tr ue&db=tsh&AN=108623765&site=ehost-live&scope=site To access and view the following videos, click the links provided below. Department of Homeland Security. (n.d.). S&T’s Cyber Security Division overview video [Video file]. Retrieved from https://www.dhs.gov/science-and-technology/sts-cyber-security-division-overview-video HLS 3306, Homeland Security Technology 1 Click here to access the PDF transcript for this video. UNIT x STUDY GUIDE Title National Geographic. (2017, April 6). The future of cyberwarfare | Origins: The journey of humankind [Video file]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L78r7YD-kNw Click here to access the PDF transcript for this video. The following article will be required to complete this unit’s assignment. Click the link below to access and read the article. The link to the article will also be available in the assignment instructions in Blackboard. Singer, P. W. (2015). Stuxnet and its hidden lessons on the ethics of cyberweapons. Case Western Reserve Journal of International Law, 47(3), 79–86. Retrieved from https://libraryresources.columbiasouthern.edu/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direc t=true&db=a9h&AN=108307851&site=ehost-live&scope=site Unit Lesson Global and domestic terrorist organizations have been using various types of weapons to target innocent civilians, groups, critical infrastructures, and other high value objectives for centuries. As time has progressed to the 21st century, the weapons and types of attacks by terrorist organizations and lone-wolf terrorists have become more sophisticated, advanced, and creative. In today’s era, terrorist organizations have a wide selection of technologies and weapons that can be used to carry out attacks against high value targets in the United States and abroad. In this unit, students will learn about digital warfare, cyber weapons, simple and advanced technologies, and the use of social media technology as a platform to ensue mass panic and disruption to society on a social, economic, and psychological scale. Digital Warfare by Terrorist Organizations We are at war! Yes, the United States has been engaged in the War on Terror since 2001, and the public is generally kept informed of developments through the media and government actions. However, what about the current global digital war that is taking place? What do we know? In cases of digital warfare, we often do not even know where it has originated and who the enemy may be. Rarely will a group, person, or country claim responsibility for digital warfare as they often do in overt physical terror attacks. Foreign Terrorists? Domestic Terrorists? An ally? Lone Wolf? Who is the enemy? Hackers? In addition to determining who the enemy is, the what and why are often even harder to uncover and explain. Questions far from the public eye are being asked daily by specialized homeland security, public, and private industry personnel dedicated to cyber or digital warfare mitigation and protection as they work to keep pace with the rapidly growing use of technology by terrorists. HLS 3306, Homeland Security Technology 2 All of xthese are GUIDE questions that UNIT STUDY the United States and our allies Title What is the How is the are trying to answer on a daily, target? weekly, monthly, and yearly U.S. involved? basis. If one turns on any news station or media source in this current climate, there is most Who is likely a story, almost daily, protecting us and how? about hacking, intrusion, data theft, ransomware, or another Can an attack What cyber malicious digital or cyberattack be stopped? threats exist? happening on a local, national, or global scale. In addition to Can the threat these daily stories, terrorist be avoided? organizations are also becoming involved in digital warfare, cyber threats, and cyberattacks. It is up to the United States, our allies, the federal government, and the many national and international intelligence agencies to work together to counter any and all cyber threats and attacks. Basics of Encryption and the Dark Web Terrorist organizations are now using advanced technologies and tools such as data encryption to communicate securely via the Internet, through email messages, and through data encryption software and websites. Data encryption is the practice of encoding or encrypting the context of a message in a secure manner requiring a data application to decode or decrypt the message. The content of a message is changed to a specific algorithm, set of algorithms, or a set of ciphers. If one does not have the correct application, security key, security token, or other method to decrypt the message, the content will remain encrypted and untraceable. There are many advanced data encryption applications used by terrorist organizations that also disguise the internet protocol (IP) address, the domain name system (DNS) address, the sender’s identity, and the point of origin for the encrypted message. The IP address is the address assigned to a computer workstation and client while it is connected to a network. If the IP address can be determined, it can be compared to various internet service providers (ISPs) to determine the owner of the IP address. The DNS address is how websites and domains are translated into various IP addresses. Each of these variables in network traffic can be encoded and encrypted with the correct software and technology. Domestic and international terrorist organizations typically choose this method of secure communication as it allows their messages to be untraceable and undetectable in most environments; however, intelligence agencies and cyber security professionals have tools and methods that can determine the content, locality, and other pertinent data needed. The dark web is the part of the Internet that is only accessible by installing secure software or a secure Internet browser on a local computer or server. It has been used by criminals to conduct illegal activity for many years. It has only recently become more prominent as more and more illegal activity such as money laundering, drug trafficking, murder for hire, human trafficking, and other criminal acts have been taking place on a global scale. An example of a dark web Internet browser is the Tor browser. The Tor browser allows users to download the application and be up and running in a matter of two minutes or less. In less than two minutes, a general computer user can go from being traceable to completely anonymous and untraceable. Terrorist organizations have been linked to secure anonymous protocols such as Tor as the protocol allows secure communication, illegal trade, and money laundering to take place instantaneously. In addition to the use of data encryption, secure communications, and using the dark web, terrorist organizations are also using virtual private networks (VPNs) and proxies to conduct criminal activity. A VPN allows the user to redirect all web-based Internet traffic to an alternative location by encrypting the transmission of data. The data transmission typically circumvents the ISP’s servers and routes the traffic to an overseas VPN server. Terrorist organizations choose this method of browsing the Internet to remain anonymous, adjust data transmission speeds, and control where the data will be sent. Many VPN services have servers in various countries around the world. In one instance, the data traffic from a single user may be going from Afghanistan to China and in another instance 20 minutes later, the same data traffic could be replicating off a VPN server in Australia. VPN connections are not impossible to trace, but it can be very difficult for intelligence agencies to gather data and evidence due to the host nations' rules and protocols for HLS 3306, Homeland Security Technology 3 accessing and assessing the data traffic. As an example, China has a nationwide that GUIDE prevents many UNITfirewall x STUDY intelligence agencies from accessing data centers within the country. Title Social Media: Terrorist Organizations’ Strongest Weapon in the 21st Century Social media platforms and technologies such as Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and Pinterest are being used to target the civilian population in many ways. Terrorist organizations such as Al Qaeda and ISIS are using social media to spread propaganda and to recruit civilians to join their terrorist organizations. Since most of the social media outlets are built on an international model, ISIS and other terrorist organizations can recruit and publish propaganda in multiple languages for several audiences. As an example, ISIS has become one of the largest terrorist organizations in the world and spans multiple nations. This allows ISIS terrorists in each of these nations to understand the local societal, economic, and psychological factors that exist to target civilians in each of these areas. The propaganda and recruiting tactics used for United States citizens will most likely differ from those that are using in Germany due to the geographic location and local ideologies that exist. Social media has also been linked to the radicalization of several lone-wolf terrorists around the world. Examples include the Florida Pulse Night Club incident; the San Bernardino shooting in 2016; and the international terrorist attacks in Stockholm, Paris, London, and Barcelona in 2017. Social media allows international and domestic terrorist groups to gain access to billions of accounts and users. Technology companies such as LinkedIn and Facebook have hired thousands of additional employees to stop these types of recruitment tactics and propaganda from taking place; however, it is a significant challenge as the user base for each social media platform grows exponentially each day, week, month, and year. Facebook and other social media platforms are also using state-of-the art tools, algorithms, ciphers, and other proprietary technology to scan their websites and news feed threads for illicit content, violent videos, and illegal use of built-in tools and features such as Facebook Live. Historical Cyber Threats: Stuxnet and Understanding Critical Infrastructure Threats Global terrorist organizations and state sponsors of terrorism are looking for new and innovative ways to instill fear and incite mass panic in society. One of the highest profile cyberattacks to occur was the creation and use of the Stuxnet worm. It is unclear who the originator of Stuxnet truly was, but Edward Snowden (as cited in Ngak, 2013) claimed the United States and Israel worked together to create the worm. Stuxnet targeted the network infrastructure and the industrial control systems (ICS) in Iran. The goal of Stuxnet was to stop and destroy the Iranian nuclear program by sending a worm to the ICS pumps of the nuclear centrifuges. In short, pumps typically control the internal speed of the centrifuges. If the speed increases, it destroys the nuclear centrifuges and stops the uranium enrichment process. The complex part about accessing the ICS systems is that they are not typically linked to a computer network. The worm can be stored on something as small as a flash drive, so an operator can covertly insert it in a control room asset. The malicious application is then transferred to the ICS and centrifuges. The main concern with computer worms such as Stuxnet is that the focus is on industrial control systems that reside in the majority of critical infrastructures around the United States and the global community. ICS is used in nuclear power plants, power grids, dams, wastewater treatment facilities, and many other critical areas that control everyday social infrastructure. If terrorist organizations were able to gain access to a computer worm such as Stuxnet, it could cause the destruction and shutdown of major critical infrastructures around the world. What would happen if nuclear weapons or material were released to the general public? What would happen if the power grids in the United States were shut down indefinitely? It is imperative for industry stakeholders, intelligence agencies, cyber analysts, the United States military, and other parties to be fully aware of cyber threats that exist today. It is also important that these same parties know how to prepare, respond, mitigate, and recover from such attacks. This unit discussed the emerging technologies used by terrorists to conduct terrorism in the domestic United States and abroad. Although there are many physical weapons available, the use of digital warfare, cyber threats, and cyberattacks in the global community is a trend growing at an alarming rate. Modern day history and recent events have demonstrated that digital warfare and the use of technology by terrorists knows no boundaries. The current fight against terrorists and digital warfare is at the doorstep of the United States. It is up to us to fight! HLS 3306, Homeland Security Technology 4 Reference UNIT x STUDY GUIDE Title Ngak, C. (2013, July 9). NSA leaker Snowden claimed U.S. and Israel co-wrote Stuxnet virus. Retrieved from https://www.cbsnews.com/news/nsa-leaker-snowden-claimed-us-and-israel-co-wrote-stuxnet-virus/ HLS 3306, Homeland Security Technology 5
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