Insider Threats and Information Vulnerabilities in Contemporary Environment
Research Question: To what extent do threats and attacks especially in the information field, in all their types and forms, affect peace reforms, democracy and individuals in the contemporary environment?
Scholarly Article 1
Reference:
Horváth, T., & Komjáthy, J. L. (2020). Major issues of insider threat and attack based on lessons learned in the area of operations. Land Forces Academy Review, 25(2), 108-114. https://doi.org/10.2478/raft-2020-0013
Annotation:
This article focuses on insider threats that happen during peace support operations and which include types and the kind of risks they pose to democratically stable states. The author’s goal, therefore, is to scrutinize and group the forms and types of threats and analyze 21st-century expectations on peace armed conflicts and give recommendations on how such threats can be defended against. Internal threats are special strikes in which the facilitator comes from the unit that is being targeted and operates as an internal person for the reason of getting close to the striking point. Insider attacks are common in areas where adversaries are on the opposite opinion and they are not limited to military forces but other actors too. According to the author, insider attacks incidents are often more dangerous than external dangers and have a larger impact on friendly forces.
The authors provide useful information supporting the danger insider attacks pose to peace and stability by pointing out the following examples: Afghanistan (ISAF) RC-N headquarters and missions in the Balkans (SFOR, KFOR, and MFOR). They indicate that insider attacks during peacekeeping operations happen mostly during stabilization periods in which case personnel in the peacekeeping forces and those meant to incorporate a new form of the democratic front are attacked to abolish such efforts. This article provides important information and illustrations about how insider attacks and threats have increased in the recent past especially in highly volatile areas. It indicates that among the main objectives of information being used in insider attacks is to create distrust towards peacekeeping efforts and hence kales. Members of such forces, negotiators and all those affected directly due to the initial conflict suffer consequences of insider attacks.
Scholarly Article 2
Reference:
Miljkovic, M., & Pešić, A. (2019). Informational And Psychological Aspects Of Security Threats In Contemporary Environment. Teme – Časopis za Društvene Nauke, (4), 1079-1094. https://doi.org/10.22190/TEME191015064P
Annotation:
This article looks into modern concepts of information and psychological operations in a real-time environment. The author’s objective in the article was to indicate that contemporary concepts of information and psychological operation is not usefully exclusive for political and military systems but also groups and individuals exposed in the process. Information misrepresentation which comes in the form of rumors and fake news in the current age end up with serious effects in the social-political set-ups presented. The research problem for the article indicates that individuals and groups exposed to barriers and threats in the modern environment, therefore, may end up changing attitudes and behaviors. The authors indicate that information has for long been used to influence target groups and that in modern society, it is being used more due to the fastness facilitated by technology. That way information operations attacks can be used to target attacks on opposing leadership, infrastructure and citizens and the authors cite Russian theorist’s argument on the same.
The article supports that information and psychological operations in the modern environment affect others besides the military and political class in that technology has acted as a medium especially in the recent past. He supports this by comparing the use of psychological operations during the Cold War and now such that it has been used differently in influencing motives and emotions towards the behavior of individuals, foreign governments and even organizations. Hence psychological operations are strategically used in tactical operations as they are valued in threats and attacks. In the contemporary environment, fakes news has been effective in attacking threats by specifically attacking them and also politically by attacking individuals and groups aligned to a particular side. Hence, this article addresses to an in-depth nature just how information threat acts as a means of attack on individuals and groups besides in military.
Scholarly Article 3
Reference:
Cappelli, D., Moore, A., & Trzeciak, R. (2012). The CERT guide to insider threats: How to prevent, detect, and respond to information technology crimes (theft, sabotage, fraud). Addison-Wesley Professional. http://ptgmedia.pearsoncmg.com/images/9780321812575/samplepages/9780321812575.pdf
Annotation:
This book looks into issues of insider incidents that are a threat to privacy and data security. The author talks of issues of malicious insider incidents and their consequences in terms of finances, organizational and individual reputation, disruption of operations or services critical to specific areas of a business or organizations. Individuals and businesses are affected in different capacities and the event it is a government-allied institution, cyber-attacks and allied insider threats might cause serious national security safety issues.
The authors use examples in the book to show efforts applied to tackle cybersecurity threats such that of the one of the Secret Service meant to study cyber-related threats. This book relates to the research question in that it shows how vulnerable private information, as well as sensitive information, can be accessed through the internet by insiders or information criminals to put individuals, groups, individuals and even military in a compromising situation. The book consist of cases where insider threats have been used to halt and terminate important events and developments. However, it also shows that mitigation measures have been made to help detect and respond to such threats.
References
Cappelli, D., Moore, A., & Trzeciak, R. (2012). The CERT guide to insider threats: How to prevent, detect, and respond to information technology crimes (theft, sabotage, fraud). Addison-Wesley Professional. http://ptgmedia.pearsoncmg.com/images/9780321812575/samplepages/9780321812575.pdf
Horváth, T., & Komjáthy, J. L. (2020). Major issues of insider threat and attack based on lessons learned in the area of operations. Land Forces Academy Review, 25(2), 108-114. https://doi.org/10.2478/raft-2020-0013
Miljkovic, M., & Pešić, A. (2019). Informational And Psychological Aspects Of Security Threats In Contemporary Environment. Teme – Časopis za Društvene Nauke, (4), 1079-1094. https://doi.org/10.22190/TEME191015064P