Cameron Jackson
Dr. Tanner
Research work
April 13, 2020
Abstract. The industry of cybersecurity keeps growing and currently stands to have skyrocketed by the COVID-19 pandemic. Despite having many resources deployed to counteract the cyber-attacks, the industry stands to pose a long way for these attempts to gain success against the posed threats. This big concern is driven by the essence of having internet access spread to the majority of the global population as well as corporations. Hackers now target a range of persons (individuals or body corporates), mainly to effect data breaches. The COVID-19 has made the breaches increase due to the increased number of people working from home and are utilizing the benefit of the internet. Despite having many ways of inhibiting data breaches and attacks, thwarting phishing stands out as one of the most effective ways, human intelligence can be defended. With this approach, users’ behavior and comprehension in information protection against most common hacking ways are useful to counteract this technological vice. This article assembles an exploration of topics that revolve around the current issues surrounding the aspect of cybersecurity.
The paper puts forth current cybersecurity research from the Global Information Assurance Certification Paper and the effect of the advancement of network technology from 3G, 4G, LTE, to the current 5G to illustrate the steps put in place to catch up with cybersecurity speed. Also, by expounding on the examples of corporations that have fallen culprit to the stalemate such as Honda, the effect of cyber-attacks to corporations are examined and found to have adversely affected their operations. The anonymous hackers’ activities, the gaming industry security experience, the global coronavirus pandemic’s effect on cybersecurity field such as through the introduction and appreciation of the TikTok application software, have also been explored, demonstrating that many industries have to deal with the threats that the anonymous group of hackers poses. Thus, a factor that calls for strong ties between corporations against cyber breaches, given the prevalence of application software use, such as the TikTok app. Lastly, the cybersecurity issue in correspondence to the nearing US presidential election as explored, giving the likelihood of the election turning out to be messed by the prevalence and potentiality of cyber-attacks and breaches. The paper finds this reoccurrence possible following the belief that even the 2016 elections suffered similar possible threats.
Cyber Security Research
After digging deeper within the field of Cyber Security, I have learned that Cyber Security plays a monumental role within our community today. Although there are many topics on Cyber Security that could be discussed, there are a few that currently stand out, and are happening and dealt with as we speak. The first topic is from the Global Information Assurance Certification paper. The second topic is the correlation between Cyber Security COVID-19 and the exact role that Cyber Security has been playing during this global pandemic [1]. Lastly, the final topic will be discussing how there was Cyber Attack on FedEx that occurred a few years ago, the depth of the attack, and the steps FedEx is taking to prevent any further attacks of that magnitude from happening again.
First, The Global Information Assurance Certification paper discusses and gives us a better understanding of cyber warfare and the important things to understand about cyber warfare [2]. The paper also informs us of the information security that goes into cyber warfare and also breaking down the difference between offensive cyber warfare and defensive cyber warfare and how we can utilize both parts of it to our advantage.
Next, society has been attempting to exploit the COVID-19 pandemic to hack or retrieve confidential information. They having been mainly using the methods of Phishing and Malware distribution to achieve it [1]. For example, cybercriminals are sending out emails, telling people to click on the link within the email to keep up with the amount of COVID-19 cases that we currently have. After clicking on the link, people expose themselves and put their computers in a very vulnerable state to be hacked.
Lastly, a few years ago, the global shipping leader, FedEx, was hit with a massive cyber-attack. This was no ordinary cyber-attack, as FedEx ended up losing roughly 300 Million dollars from it [1]. Since then. FedEx has made Cybersecurity the company’s primary focus to ensure that there will not be a security attack of this magnitude ever to happen again.
5G and Cybersecurity
As time continues, and the world continues to progress within its advancement of technology, we, the Information Technology industry, will have to continue to advance with it within all aspects of technology. Throughout the years, we are continuing to discover ways to develop new speeds to access and maneuver around the web. We have seen 3G, we have seen 4G, we have seen LTE, and we have now arrived at 5G.
Although developing 5G speeds is a tremendous accomplishment for our society, we must understand that new technology comes new risks as well [3]. Although 5G expands cyber risks in many different ways, there are a few risks that stand out more than others. First, the network has moved away from centralized, hardware-based switching to distributed, software-defined digital routing [3]. Previous networks were hub-and-spoke designs in which everything came to hardware choke points where cyber hygiene could be practiced. In the 5G software defined network, however, that activity is pushed outward to a web of digital routers throughout the network, thus denying the potential for chokepoint inspection and control [3]. Also, 5G further complicates its cyber vulnerability by virtualizing in software higher-level network functions formerly performed by physical appliances [3]. These activities are based on the common language of Internet Protocol and well-known operating systems. Whether used by nation-states or criminal actors, these standardized building block protocols and systems have proven to be valuable tools for those partake in illegal activity. Although we have made great strides in advancing technology, we still have flaws that will need to be addressed within 5G technology.
June 10 Research
Over the past week, Honda has been dealing with a very difficult situation. It has been confirmed that Honda’s global operations have been hit by a cyber-attack [4]. Although the operations center is in Japan, this cyber-attack has affected not only the operations center but also many Hondas production centers around the country as well. It has also been confirmed that Hondas has decided to halt operations at their UK plant, as well as suspending operations in North America, Turkey, Italy, and Japan as well, of course [4]. As of today, Honda has not made an official statement about the specific damage that has been done throughout the company due to the cyber-attack. However, couple of Cybersecurity experts have begun to take a look into the situation themselves. Many of the experts seem to believe that this attack looks like a ransomware attack. This ultimately means that the hackers have encrypted important, confidential Honda documents and will hold the documents until Honda pays the ransom price that the hackers are asking for [4]. This is purely another example of another huge industry being hacked by cybercriminals.
On the contrary, there is another hacker that has been pretty popular lately. Lately, there has been a hacker that goes by the name of Anonymous. This hacker has taken it upon himself to support the racial fight for equality [5]. Throughout the past few weeks, the Minneapolis Police force has been under heavy scrutiny by the entire country. Their wrongdoings have led to many peaceful protects, while at the same time led to many riots as well. To show his dislike for the Minneapolis Police force as well, Anonymous took it upon himself to Hack the official Minneapolis Police Department website [5]. The website remained down for two entire days. This is not the first time that Anonymous has taken part in protests against racial discrimination in the US. In 2014, Anonymous attacked the City Hall website of Ferguson, Missouri, after the fatal shooting of Michael Brown, and threatened cyber-attacks against police and local government if protesters were harmed [5]. Although Anonymous hacks are to show his support for racial equality and has been praised for doing such, it is still deemed illegal and cannot happen within the cyber world.
May 7 research
My first article talks about gamers and gaming security. Just last year, a survey was done on many gamers within the United States. The survey entailed three important questions. The first question asked exactly how many gamers feel like their gaming experience is secure. The next question is how many gamers reuse the same passwords across multiple accounts. Lastly, final questions asked how many times each gamer has experienced a cyber-attack [6]. After the survey concluded, the results showed that three-quarters do not feel like they are having a secure gaming experience. The results also showed that 55% of gamers actually reuse their passwords across multiple accounts [6]. Lastly, the survey also showed that the average gamer experienced at least five cyber-attacks throughout their gaming career. Many people do not realize how serious gaming security is [6]. Many cyber criminals are hacking gaming accounts and purchasing a ton of virtual currency on these accounts. After the cybercriminal has purchased the virtual currency, they are selling these accounts for actual money [6]. The best way to protect your gaming account is to install a Multi-factor authentication. That way, if anyone were to attempt to hack your account, you would be instantly notified.
My next article talks about how cyber threats have been drastically increasing due to more Americans teleworking. Due to recent transgressions within our country and also around the world, cybersecurity is needed now more than ever [7]. The majority of Americans are currently working from home due to the current pandemic. With that being said, many companies have transitioned to having employees work remotely for the very first time [7]. By it being the companies first time participating in remote work, they may lack certain security standards that should be in place to keep their systems secure, and cybercriminals are taking full advantage of it [7]. There has even been a cyber incident involving the networks belonging to the U.S Department of Health and Human Services. The HHS has been playing a huge role in the government’s coronavirus response. The HHS did inform us that although there was a cyber-attack, no systems were penetrated and that no information was compromised [7].
Research work
Since the Global Pandemic began a couple of months, society has changed completely. Millions of workers have been laid off from their full-time jobs and have been at home the majority of the time. A particular app has benefited numerously off of our current world situation. This particular app is called TikTok [8]. Since the beginning of the global pandemic, this social media app has had a surge in its users, totaling an amount of a little over 1 billion users worldwide. Although this app has been highly successful, it comes with some major flaws and risks, risks so big that Secretary of State, Mike Pompeo, has proposed to ban TikTok from the United States indefinitely [8]. TikTok, although highly used and liked worldwide, is a social media app that is based out of China. Unlike the United States, China is a communist country. Also, China’s security law is much stricter than the internet laws we have in the United States.
According to China’s internet law, every Chinses technology company is required by Chinese law to provide the information they obtain, or information stored on their networks, to Chinese authorities if requested to do so [8]. With that being said, it is safe to believe that if by Chinese law, TikTok is reporting its personal data to the Chinese government, it would be deemed a huge security risk for millions of Americans throughout the entire country. Branches of the United States military have banned TikTok’s use for their personnel, which also includes the Transportation Security Administration and the United States Army [8]. In conclusion, although the TikTok app is very successful and highly liked, it is safe to say that your personal information is not safe and is indeed breached and legally obtained by the Chinese government.
Presidential Election Security
This is a huge concern that is among us in the world of Cybersecurity as well as in the United States itself. As we all know, within the upcoming months, we will be having our Presidential Election. Although we want the election to go as easily and smoothly as possible, one can assume that due to recent transgressions during the last election and the way technology is evolving, that may not be the case [9]. Although we want technology to continue to grow and thrive in our modern-day society, we must understand that as long as technology continues to grow, there will be more security risks. The main objective for this year is election is quite simple, which is to keep the election a fair race. Although this may seem like a simple task, it is much easier said than done. In 2016, Russia was accused of tampering with United States voting polls in order to help secure a victory for President Donald Trump [9]. In the world of Cybersecurity, it is going to be up to us to make sure that there will not be any type of tampering in this year’s election, and to keep the election as honest and as fair as possible.
Although not during this election, there have been talks of transitioning the voting process to be completed through your smartphone instead of going to the polls to stop poll hacking and tampering [9]. However, this sounds like an interesting. The idea, the question must be asked as to how safe would voting through our smartphones be? One could even argue that if these hackers are good enough to hack voting polls, they are probably more than capable of hacking into one’s smartphone and altering that respective persons vote that way as well. Microsoft Windows 10, Linux, and others lie at the base of new voting systems that employ optical scan [9]. But these are hackable as well. With that being said, it’s safe to stay that there is still no sure-fire way to put a complete stop to voter tampering just yet, but Cybersecurity Engineers, as well as the United States Government, are working together diligently to figure out a solution.
Reference
[1] F. Mouton, “COVID-19: Impact on the Cyber Security Threat Landscape,” Research gate, 2019. [Online]. Available: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/340066124_COVID-19_Impact_on_the_Cyber_Security_Threat_Landscape. [Accessed: 2020].
[2] R. F. Buhler, “Is America Losing the Cold War in Cyber-Space?” Less than a decade after the Berlin Wall came tumbling down; we are in the midst of a new Cold War, 2020. [Online]. Available: http://www.fas.org/irp/news/1998/05/virtual_cold_war.htm. [Accessed: 19-Jun-2020].
[3] T. Wheeler and D. Simpson, “Why 5G requires new approaches to cybersecurity,” Brookings, 25-Oct-2019. [Online]. Available: https://www.brookings.edu/research/why-5g-requires-new-approaches-to-cybersecurity/. [Accessed: 20-Jun-2020].
[4] J. Tidy, “Honda’s global operations hit by cyber-attack,” BBC News, 09-Jun-2020. [Online]. Available: https://www.bbc.com/news/technology-52982427. [Accessed: 20-Jun-2020].
[5] O. Marathe, “Explained: Everything you need to know about the hacktivist group Anonymous,” The Indian Express, 12-Jun-2020. [Online]. Available: https://indianexpress.com/article/explained/hacktivist-group-anonymous-george-floyd-protests-6446993/. [Accessed: 20-Jun-2020].
[6] K. Townsend, “Cybersecurity Risks All Gamers Should Know,” Avast, Jan-2019. [Online]. Available: https://blog.avast.com/cybersecurity-risks-all-gamers-should-know. [Accessed: 20-Jun-2020].
[7] J. Seldin, “Cyber Threat Increases as More Americans Telework,” Voice of America, Mar-2020. [Online]. Available: https://www.voanews.com/science-health/coronavirus-outbreak/cyber-threat-increases-more-americans-telework. [Accessed: 20-Jun-2020].
[8] A. News, 2020. The US Looking at Banning Chinese Social Media App Tiktok as Security Threat: Pompeo. [online] ABC News. Available at: <https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/us-banning-chinese-social-media-app-tiktok-security/story?id=71647269> [Accessed 8 July 2020].
[9] C. B. G. Perspective, “COVID-19, elections and cyber risks to voting,” 28-Jul-2020. [Online]. Available: https://neworleanscitybusiness.com/blog/2020/07/28/covid-19-elections-and-cyber-risks-to-honest-voting/. [Accessed: July 28, 2020].