Department of Homeland Security Policy for Defense of Cyberspace

Abstract

The phenomenal growth of personal computers combined with various means to network them has created a cyberspace" that has revolutionized everything we do. Effects of the rapid expansion of cyberspace over the past ten years has been seen in just about every facet of American society to include, but not limited to education, commercial enterprises, private organizations, public utilities, government services, law enforcement and national defense. A closer look at commercial enterprises includes web browsing, chat rooms, e-mail, e-commerce, overhauls of business practices and organizations, telecommunication operations, and management of power grids and distribution centers. These are all directly linked to and rely on the availability of cyberspace. Although the United States may be at the forefront of this Internet explosion, the rest of the world is also fully connected and an integrated member of cyberspace. Consistent with American values, cyberspace is a medium that allows a free and open exchange of ideas and information while allowing wide accessibility. The same openness and availability we value as a great strength of cyberspace is also one of its great weaknesses and makes us vulnerable to attack by a wide variety of potential enemies. The defense of our networks is currently a wide and varied tapestry of security implementations and protocols at all levels of private, commercial, and government services or agencies. The creation of the Department of Homeland Security could potentially provide a new platform from which a nationwide cyberspace defensive strategy could be coordinated and implemented. This paper will review the current cyberspace defense policies of the United States and will evaluate the Department of Homeland Security's (DHS) current plan, highlighting the changes it will propose to current policy. It will make recommendations pertaining to the DHS plan, designed to further strengthen its role as protector of this nations cyberspace.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Apr 07, 2003
Accession Number
ADA414513

Entities

People

  • Timothy M. O'hara

Organizations

  • United States Army War College

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Cyber

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Computer Networks
  • Cyberattacks
  • Cybersecurity
  • Cyberspace
  • Cyberspace Operations
  • Department Of Homeland Security
  • Electronic Commerce
  • Electronic Mail
  • Governments
  • Health Services
  • Homeland Security
  • Information Systems
  • National Governments
  • National Security
  • Security
  • Security Personnel
  • War Colleges

Readers

  • Cybersecurity.
  • Economics
  • Government and Public Administration Law.

Technology Areas

  • Cyber