There are 16 critical infrastructure sectors identified by the Presidential Policy Directive 21
(PPD-21).
1. Chemical Sector
2. Commercial Facilities Sector
3. Communications Sector
4. Critical Manufacturing Sector
5. Dams Sector
6. Defense Industrial Base Sector
7. Emergency Services Sector
8. Energy Sector
9. Financial Services Sector
10. Food and Agriculture Sector
11. Water and Wastewater Systems Sector
12. Government Facilities Sector
13. Health Care and Public Health Sector
14. Information Technology Sector
15. Nuclear Reactors, Materials, and Waste Sector
16. Transportation Systems Sector
(Nemeth, 2017)
Each of these sectors are considered vital to the United States and without one or more, would be
debilitating to the security of the American economy’s health and safety (Nemeth, 2017). This is
why the most vulnerable critical infrastructure is each sector that is at risk of a cyberattack. A
person cannot anoint merely one sector as the most vulnerable, as they are each important to the
success of the homeland security. The potential for another event similar to the hack on the
Colonial Pipeline cannot occur again. On May 7, 2021, the Colonial Pipeline reported they were
a victim to a ransomware cyberattack. To ensure their systems were not further compromised,
executives followed a notice from the DHS to shutdown certain systems that monitor and
control physical pipeline functions (U.S. Government Accountability Office, 2021). An
evaluation of the systems revealed there were no indications any physical system was
breached, but disconnection did cause a temporary halt to all pipeline operations, and the
pipeline restarted operations on May 13, 2021 (U.S. Government Accountability Office,
2021). Unfortunately, the event caused the U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT) to
issue a regional emergency declaration (Tsvetanov et al., 2021). In addition, there were price
spikes at the pumps, causing greater strain on economic growth (Tsvetanov et al., 2021). Further,
even though the intrusion on the pipeline was dealt with relatively quickly, there were lasting
impacts on the cost of gas and overall feeling of security of the American infrastructure
(Tsvetanov et al., 2021). The attack on the Colonial Pipeline was but one instance showcasing
the necessity for urgency in addressing cybersecurity vulnerabilities to American critical
infrastructure.
The U.S. Government Accountability Office counsels the best way to enhance security is
to implement a comprehensive cybersecurity strategy, perform effective oversight, secure
federal systems, and protect cyber critical infrastructure, privacy, and sensitive data (U.S.
Government Accountability Office, n.d.). Congress must look at passing a comprehensive
internet privacy legislation governing the collection, use, and sale of personal information
by private-sector companies (U.S. Government Accountability Office, n.d.). Further the bill
should regulate the commercial use of facial recognition technology, including the
identifying and tracking of individuals (U.S. Government Accountability Office, n.d.). In
addition, government agencies should create incentives, or an IT training program, to help
anyone interested in cybersecurity become trained so the workforce can be stronger in protecting
critical infrastructure.
The posited answer for how to secure the borders, depends on who is questioned. Many
may feel they are safe, and American agencies are stopping the majority of criminals entering the
country. When looking at a typical day at all border entries, a total of over a thousand
apprehensions, including wanted criminals occur (Border Security Overview, 2022). According
to DHS, “Protecting our borders from the illegal movement of weapons, drugs, contraband, and
people, while promoting lawful entry and exit, is essential to homeland security, economic
prosperity, and national sovereignty.” (Border Security Overview, 2022). DHS has created
a multi-layered defense strategy with several programs and initiatives. This includes:
1. Customs Trade Partnership Against Terrorism (C-TPAT)- A co-op between nearly 5,800
businesses from public, private, and international partners to improve baseline security
standards for supply chain and container security.
2. Screening and Inspection: Using intelligence and various technologies the U.S. Customs
and Border Protection (CBP) is able to screen 100% of all cargo before it arrives in the
U.S.
3. Container Security Initiative (CSI): A partnership between CBP and other government
Customs Services to examine high-risk cargo at foreign seaports before they are loaded
on vessels destined for the U.S.
4. 24-Hour Rule: Requirement CBP to receive manifest information twenty-four hours prior
to the sea container being loaded onto the vessel in the foreign port.
(U.S. Department of Homeland Security, 2022)
Zechariah 9:8 (New King James Version Bible, 1982) states, “I will camp around My house
Because of the army, Because of him who passes by and him who returns. No more shall
oppressor pass through them, For now I have seen with My eyes.” Each form of critical
infrastructure plays a vital role in the success of homeland security, and it is important we have
open eyes to see the importance in each sector. To ensure the safety of the American
infrastructure, legislation must be passed to mandate security measures protecting from
cyberattacks; money must be disbursed to fix any vulnerabilities to any sector; and, all measures
must be taken to keep the border secured.
Nemeth, C. P. (2017). Homeland security: An introduction to principles and practices (3rd ed.).
New King James Version Bible. (1982). Thomas Nelson, Inc.
Tsvetanov, T., & Slaria, S. (2021). The effect of the colonial pipeline shutdown on gasoline
prices. Economics Letters, 209. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.econlet.2021.110122
U.S. Department of Homeland Security. (2022). Multi-layered defense. Multi-Layered Defense |
Homeland Security. Retrieved August 1, 2022, from https://www.dhs.gov/multi-layered-
defense
U.S. Department of Homeland Security. (2022). Border Security Overview. Border Security
Overview | Homeland Security. Retrieved August 1, 2022, from
https://www.dhs.gov/border-security-overview#:~:text=Protecting%20our%20borders
%20from%20the,economic%20prosperity%2C%20and%20national%20sovereignty
U.S. Government Accountability Office. (n.d.). Ensuring the cybersecurity of the nation. U.S.
GAO. Retrieved August 1, 2022, from https://www.gao.gov/highrisk/ensuring-
cybersecurity-nation
U.S. Government Accountability Office. (2021). Colonial Pipeline Cyberattack Highlights Need
for Better Federal and Private-Sector Preparedness (infographic). U.S. GAO. Retrieved
August 1, 2022, from https://www.gao.gov/blog/colonial-pipeline-cyberattack-highlights-
need-better-federal-and-private-sector-preparedness-infographic
Diana,
I fully agree with your thoughts on cybersecurity being the most vulnerable critical
infrastructure. It seems everything is connected to the internet or cyberspace. As technology
evolves, so do the existing threats, breeding greater security risks. Your ideas for security
enhancements are great. I would further add ensuring organizations keep up to date on
monitoring systems, such as password management, data leak prevention, and content
monitoring technologies. In addition, firewalls for perimeter defense (He et al., 2019). These
security processes, when implemented properly, will protect critical organization data and
information system assets. Furthermore, organizations must ensure their employees comply with
organizations’ information security policies (He et al., 2019). IBM conducted research in 2014
on cyber security failures, finding around 80-90 percent of failures were related to human and
organizational shortcomings (Li et al., 2019). This could include weak passwords or privacy
settings, responding or clicking on phishing emails, and most importantly, not keeping up-to-date
on antivirus and anti-malware products (Department of Homeland Security, 2022).
It would be interesting to see if the report conducted by IBM included government workers or
contractors. Maybe those working within the government are better in protecting themselves in
cyberspace. Thankfully, there is an agency within the American government dedicated to
protecting American cybersecurity infrastructure. Unfortunately, whether government or public
entity, an organization relies heavily on their employees to use business technology solely for
business. Often times, this does not occur. Even with additional training to show the
cybersecurity policy awareness, negative employee behavior online does not change. This is why
the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency recommends several different systems that
can help protect an agency (Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, n.d.).
Reference
He, W., Ash, I., Anwar, M., Li, L., Yuan, X., Xu, L., & Tian, X. (2019). Improving employees’
intellectual capacity for cybersecurity through evidence-based malware training. Journal of
Intellectual Capital, 21(2), 203–213. https://doi.org/10.1108/jic-05-2019-0112
Li, L., He, W., Xu, L., Ash, I., Anwar, M., & Yuan, X. (2019). Investigating the impact of
cybersecurity policy awareness on employees’ cybersecurity behavior. International
Journal of Information Management, 45, 13–24.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijinfomgt.2018.10.017
Department of Homeland Security. (2022). Cybersecurity. Cybersecurity | Ready.gov. Retrieved
August 7, 2022, from https://www.ready.gov/cybersecurity
Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency. (n.d.). Free cybersecurity services and tools.
Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency CISA. Retrieved August 7, 2022, from
https://www.cisa.gov/free-cybersecurity-services-and-tools
Israel,
You make great points about border security. Furthermore, you present an appealing argument
for how you would make border security better. It would be interesting to see border security as
its own agency. However, I see the rationale for its residence within the Department of
Homeland Security. Each agency has its own department head, who then reports to the director
of DHS. This is important because border security is certainly an integral aspect of the discussion
regarding preserving the nation’s security. Agencies such as the Bureau of Immigration and
Customs Enforcement (ICE), the Bureau of Customs and Border Protection (CBP), and the
Bureau of Citizenship and Immigration Services (CIS), each play a vital role in protecting the
nation (Schmalleger, 2020). Thankfully, they can work together to ensure DHS is aware of new
trending crimes, while also collaborating on furthering relevant legislation. The UN has declared
that smuggling routes are “facilitated by weak legislation, lax border controls, corrupt officials,
and the power and influence of organized crime” (Schmalleger, 2020). Unfortunately, the
innovations you have recommended have a high potentiality for critical consequence. The Secure
Border Initiative (SBI) was created in 2005 and showed difficulty in implementation. Due to
combative political parties and their special interests, the initiative could never be successful as
each party wanted something different and sought to manipulate the power in a self-centered
manner (Nemeth, 2017). Currently, the initiative has yet to help in immigration reform, but has
managed to negatively impact health, education, and other systems thanks to improper
disbursement of funding (Nemeth, 2017).
Schmalleger, F. (2020). Criminal Justice Today (16th Edition). Pearson Education
(US). https://mbsdirect.vitalsource.com/books/9780135770702
