Information Assurance

Information Assurance

Overview of Information Assurance in relation to cyber crime: [1]Protecting critical information infrastructure (CII) has occurred since at least World War II, during which the United States relied on wired and wireless communications systems. Some writers have even observed that CII began with telegraph and then telephone systems in the nineteenth century. However, prior to this period in history nations did not rely on electronic systems for commerce, provision of utility services, transportation, education, and a myriad of government and private sector services to the extent that modern societies now do. Given the extent to which societies now depend on electricity to operate telecommunications and computing systems, protecting CII is vitally important. Research is revealing that organized crime, terrorist organizations, or other nations are now launching malware attacks against organizations throughout much of the computerized world. These attacks may well constitute threats to the national or economic security of any country that relies on CII for its basic societal functions.

Resources

Notes and References

1. By Samuel C. McQuade, III

See Also

• Types of Cybercrime
• Cybercriminal

Further Reading

Best, R.A.J. (2001). Intelligence and law enforcement: Countering transnational threats to the U.S. Washington, DC: Congressional Research Service; 94 INFORMATION ASSURANCE Best, R.A.J. (2001). The National Security Agency: Issues for Congress. Washington, DC: Congressional Research Service; Brake, J.D. (2001). Terrorism and the military’s role in domestic crises management: Background issues for Congress. Washington, DC: Congressional Research Service; Clinton, W. J. (1996, July 15). Executive Order 13010—Critical Infrastructure Protection. Washington, DC: Government Printing Office; Cordesman, A.H., and Cordesman, J.G. (2002). Cyber-threats, information warfare, and critical infrastructure protection.Westport, CT: Praeger; Dunn, M., & Wigert, I. (2004). In A. Wenger & J. Metzger (Eds.), International CIIP handbook: An inventory and analysis of protection policies in fourteen countries, 2nd ed. Zurich, Switzerland: Swiss Federal Institute of Technology; Ellis, J., Fisher, D., Longstaff, T., Pesante, L., & Pethia, R. (1997, January). Report to the President’s Commission on Critical Infrastructure Protection. Pittsburgh, PA: CERT Coordination Center, Carnegie Mellon University; Greenemeier, L. (2005). New cybersecurity center to warn law enforcement of critical infrastructure attacks. Information Week Web site: https:// informationweek.com/story/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=170000319; McLoughlin, G.J. (1996). The national information infrastructure: The federal role. Washington, DC: Congressional Research Service; Moteff, J., Copeland, C., & Fischer, J. (2003, January 29). Critical infrastructures: What makes an infrastructure critical? Washington DC: Congressional Research Service; National Academy of Engineering. (2003). Critical information infrastructure protection and the law. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press; National Commission on Terrorism. (2000). Countering the threat of international terrorism. Washington, DC: Government Printing Office; President’s Commission on Critical Infrastructure Protection. (1997). Critical foundations: Protecting America’s infrastructures. Washington, DC: Government Printing Office.