Dr. Emmanuel Amadi, chair of criminal justice department at Mississippi Valley State University (MVSU), recently published an article in the American International Journal of Contemporary Research titled, ‘Exploring the Extent to Which Cyber Security is Essential to Homeland Security.’Amadi said the purpose of the article is to help nations improve cyber security and highlight areas of infrastructure that are in need of improvement.
Cyber security refers to security against cybercrime, cyber terrorism, and cyber warfare – all of which are dangerous to homeland security.
“Every single day, there are more than 10 million cyber-attacks on the United States,” he added. “Cyber-attacks are very serious and are increasingly threatening to homeland security as they have the potential to result in enormous social economic damage and disruption that could jeopardize the welfare of the nation.”
The article explores and explains the significance of cyber security to homeland security, and the degree of devastation that can be caused by cyber-attacks.
“With information technology, terrorists and cyber criminals can cause more havoc than people using bombs and guns,” said Amadi. “Cyber-attacks could cause our economy and healthcare system to shut down.
Cyber-attacks can be successfully carried out by a determined attacker on a highly technically secured system, such as an industrial control system by bypassing the system’s technical security protections through merely deceiving the legitimate user of the system to give out his or her password or clicking a link to a malicious web site.
“If the cyber infrastructure of our nation is disrupted or destroyed, it could cause so much distress,” continued Amadi. “One problem or mishap could cause a cascading effect to an entire network system.”
Amadi said in order to combat or remain ahead of this issue, all stakeholders, public and private, must make concerted efforts and utilize all available resources to ensure cyber security in the effort to protect the homeland. Otherwise, the security of the nation against cyber-attacks would be severely hampered.
“We have to stay knowledgeable about current events,” he added. “The government is doing a great job at keeping us informed, and we must take action to protect ourselves.”
Amadi said this article is a must-read for any individual who uses or is affected by cyberspace.
“Cyberspace is in your pocket or purse, it is your cell phone,” he added. “Individuals need to read this article so that they know how to protect themselves.”
To read Dr. Amadi's article, click here.