Cyberspace and the American Government
Article by Audrey Hopper, TPT Staff Writer
Technology has risen at a rapid, unprecedented pace. The creation of the internet and the rise of cyberspace has given a new frontier of exploration for various groups, including federal governments and terrorist organizations. These fast paced improvements may have elevated the way of life for many people and corporations but have given rise to new problems. Cyberspace is a realm that remains ever-evolving. The cyberspace's need for security has led to new struggles for the U.S. government as they attempt to protect their confidential files and information within their private corner of cyberspace. The U.S. government needs to increase its cyberspace defenses. The field of cybersecurity is consistently fluid in its composition; cybersecurity is a profession made up of a variety of jobs that serve a variety of purposes. An increase in funding and continued training would provide a higher level of cybersecurity for the U.S. government. Funding has steadily increased in response to increases in technological advances, but the profession as a whole remains undefined and unregulated. “Cybersecurity is a broad field comprising many occupations spanning the range from highly technical to the management- or policy-oriented” (Burley). Such a large and unorganized field will result in a lack of consistency for the American government’s cybersecurity defenses. Though there are currently cyberspace defenses in place, it was shown in a report by the U.S. Government Accountability Office in 2019, that the current goals set for the cyberspace divisions of the government are only partially meeting their goals. Cyberspace defenses are needed now more than ever.
Cyberspace is a relatively unregulated field in which nothing is truly stagnant. While the continued improvements may provide solutions to many problems faced by people for a variety of reasons, in many ways it can also lead to a lack of organized response to challenges. Recent attempted hackings and attacks by various countries, including Russia and China, have shown a need for more organization within the ranks of those working for the government. According to an article by Diana L. Burley and associates, the field of cybersecurity, and cyberspace in general, is not professionalized. The lack of professionalism means that there is no basic standard of education for people in this profession. The best way to “develop a national cybersecurity workforce of sufficient capacity and capability should move away from overly broad generalizations based on anecdotal evidence and context-specific challenges, toward a set of targeted activities that meet identified and specific occupational workforce deficiencies.” (Burley) An increase in professionalism would provide an order and standard to the field. Cyberspace is a relatively lawless land, bringing governmental order to that would allow for more productivity and security. For the U.S. government to create a standard for people working in cyberspace would allow for a clearer organization in the workplace. To work in cyberspace requires many different jobs and professions. The need encompasses building, programing, and continually updating the devices and systems used. While bringing professionalism to cyberspace may give the appearance of stunting the growth of technology it does quite the opposite; bringing professionalism to the profession of cybersecurity would create a more orderly, productive workplace. A clear organization in a field brings an increased standard of performance. The U.S. government would benefit greatly by supporting the professionalism of cybersecurity.
Photo via IT World Canada
Investing in a growing cyberspace is an action that needs to be taken by the American government. Colleges and private businesses have been influencing and selling their new technology to the government for years but the Biden administration is making an increased effort to partner government and business. Technology is in a desperate need for an update to continue growing with the rapidly changing international virtual domain. “The old ways of building an application or entire system only to tack on security later allows for vulnerabilities from the start and is not sustainable.” (Eidam) Colleges continue to work on solutions to many of the problems faced within the realm of cyberspace. The American government needs to update the technology they use, an update in technology will lead to an increase in cyber safety. Moves have been made towards cybersecurity between the private sector and the government according to an article entitled “Here's how the US Government is Working with the Private Sector to Improve the Nation's Cybersecurity”. President Biden has made many movements towards an increase in cyber security, showing that the government needs to update their systems and procedures within the field. Over twenty different companies and organizations of varying types were present for the conversation, most of whom made agreements to improve the U.S. government's cyber security technology. Biden has recently made many “overhauls” (Mathi) to the current policies surrounding cyberspace and the corresponding technology.
Although action is taken, the need for improvement runs deep. Technology is inherently flawed, no matter what action is taken, technology will never be a perfect long term solution. Research is done at multiple colleges throughout the country; while some professors are optimistic about the future of technology, others are slightly more pessimistic about the task that faces them. “Systems can be designed to prevent known threats and different kinds of threats, but you can never write a program saying this program can prevent all threats.” (Eidam) Knowing that technology is never going to be able to fully protect against the possible threats that face it makes the need for new technology and more funding seem void. Russia, China, North Korea, and various criminal or terrorist groups are known perpetrators of cybercrimes against the American government according to an article by Doug Olenick. The list of cybercrimes, both committed and attempted, is ever growing and will never stop. No technology will ever be able to anticipate all cyber attacks; most attempts are ultimately futile. The number of attacks thwarted by current technology is innumerable and will continue as a functional plan of action as technology continues to be developed and updated. The benefits of trying to improve the current technology in preparation for a cyber attack outweigh the obvious possibility for failure.
The United States government needs to increase their cyberspace defenses, this fact is clear and unwavering. Action is currently being taken by the Biden administration towards improvements in policies and standards for technology. The work being done is only the beginning, the government needs to make cyberspace defenses an ongoing focus of each administration. The current action taken is proof that improvements need to be made. The government needs to invest in the private sector and secondary educational institutions to create improved technology and codes. It has been shown multiple times that the American government is not capable of creating the new technologies alone, the involvement of the private sector would improve current and upcoming technology. The focused attention will create a standard in the field and help to professionalize it. Bringing organization to cyberspace will lead to a better response when attacks are waged against the U.S. government. The professionalization of cybersecurity as a field will bring a new momentum to the field, creating more purpose and clearer roles in the field. A basic set of knowledge, continued training, and educational opportunities will create a more effective team when dealing with new technology and finding new solutions. The government holds a large amount of authority and power in the field of cyber security, if no action is taken then nothing will happen and the American people will continue to be vulnerable.
Works Cited:
Burley, Diana L., et al. “Would Cybersecurity Professionalization Help Address the Cybersecurity Crisis?” Communications of the ACM, vol. 57, no. 2, Feb. 2014, pp. 24–27. EBSCOhost, https://doi.org/10.1145/2556936.
Eidam, Eyragon. “Test-Tube Security: Can University Research Laboratories Unlock the Secret to Better Cybersecurity?” Government Technology, vol. 30, no. 7, Oct. 2017, pp. 28–31. EBSCOhost, https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&AuthType=shib&db=aci&AN=125558081&site=ehost-live.
Mathi, Sarvesh. "Here's How the US Government is Working with the Private Sector to Improve the Nation's Cybersecurity." Media Nama, 26 Aug. 2021, p. NA. Gale OneFile:Computer Science,link.gale.com/apps/doc/A673260095/CDB?u=lincclin_sjrcc&s id=bookmark-CDB&xid=776e1742. Accessed 8 Nov. 2022.
Olenick, Doug. “Cyber Enemies.” SC Magazine: For IT Security Professionals (15476693), vol. 28, no. 3, May 2017, pp. 14–17. EBSCOhost, https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&AuthType=shib&db=aci&AN=12798719&site=ehost-live.
U.S. Government Accountability Office. “Ensuring the Cybersecurity of the Nation”.https://www.gao.gov/highrisk/ensuring-cybersecurity-nation
Note: This article was originally written by the author as an academic paper. The views articulated in this piece are the author’s own and do not necessarily reflect the official stances of The Progressive Teen or High School Democrats of America.