Discussion 4

profileLibrad6712
MSCJ_CyberNav_Communication_Case_Study1.pdf

MSCJ CyberNav Communication Case Study

The U.S. Department of Defense (DOD) contracting firm, Cybernav Communication,

employs both ex-military and civilian workers. Worker is a civilian employee in the drone

security system section of this private, for profit, company. Cybernav has a written

policy that does not allow employees to activate its top secret and secure VPN off work

properties (See policy).

Worker and other technicians in his department routinely take home and utilize the VPN

to get work done away from the office. It is unclear whether or not the company is

aware of this practice within this department. Worker has Special and Top Secret VPN

access to sensitive drone infrared, security systems, and tracking capabilities.

Worker recently took his computer home over a weekend to work on a time-sensitive

deadline project. Over the weekend, he invited his friend, Gambler, to his house. During

Gambler’s visit, Worker inadvertently left the VPN connection open and active on the

laptop computer in his home office. While Worker was out of the house picking up a few

things for a cookout for friends later in the day, Gambler used his computer to place

numerous bets via the Internet. Gambler spent 50 minutes on Worker’s computer,

accessing three international gaming sites.

The traffic for two of the international gambling sites is known to be monitored by at

least one Islamic terrorist group and three intelligence agencies of foreign governments

hostile to the United States.

While gambling on the Internet, at least one of the foreign country’s computer pirates

gleaned enough information to hack Cybernav’s VPN and learned how to gain access to

sensitive government computers and information.

The terrorist supporting states gained knowledge of how to trigger the self-destruct

mechanisms in the drones being developed by Cybernav Communications.

While testing the new drones over the desert of a friendly nation in the Middle East,

two of the first three drones exploded due to the self-destruct mechanisms being

activated 90 seconds after takeoff. Initially, the U.S. Air Force was unable to determine

why the drones were failing. Testing for the new drones has been halted, costing

taxpayers tens of millions of dollars and delaying the implementation of the new drones

indefinitely.

The FBI (Federal Bureau of Investigation), CIA (Central Intelligence Agency), U.S. Air

Force, State Police, County Sherriff and Cybernav have begun investigations into the

causes of the drone failures.