Computer crimes have become an enormous problem for not only personal safety, but also of national security. Recently, questions have been raised as to whether or not the U.S. Government Policy can keep up with trends and advancements in technology.
Creating and changing laws to protect American citizens from computer-based threats is a lengthy process, with many variables involved. In the meantime, the U.S. government has been taking other steps to provide its citizens with powerful tools of protection by giving them tools to educate themselves.
On Oct. 1, President Barrack Obama kicked off National Cybersecurity Awareness Month by issuing a proclamation outlining his plan to make the Internet safer for the American citizens. In this proclamation are links to educational websites sponsored by the government as well as an introduction to his “Stop. Think. Connect.” campaign.
According to President Obama, this campaign can help Americans to, “...learn about and become more aware of risks in cyberspace, and be empowered to make choices that contribute to our overall security.”
The President’s proclamation and the “Stop. Think. Connect.” campaign do encompass a few aspects of what the U.S. Government is doing to improve cybersecurity in this country. They are empowering the American people to know what dangers there are and what to do about these dangers.
In his proclamation, the President states, “All Americans must recognize our shared responsibility and play an active role in securing the cyber networks we use every day.” And that includes government and citizens under the same category, similar to the mentality behind “We the People...”
This point was reinforced when Howard Schmidt, White House Cybersecurity Coordinator and Special Adviser to the President, posted an update to the official White House blog, where he made a statement about the “Stop. Think. Connect.” campaign as a way, “... to help all digital citizens employ universal behaviors to protect themselves, no matter what they are doing online or how they are connecting to the Internet.”
The U.S. Government understands well one point: knowledge is important. A large number of computer crimes and most viruses and malware are designed to specifically target the unknowing and unsuspecting computer users of the world. If everyone knows what a “phishing site” is and how to avoid it, then the effectiveness of those scams would naturally drop significantly.
Two tools given to the American citizens are DHS.gov/Cyber and OnGuardOnline.gov, which President Obama mentioned in his proclamation. The DHS.gov/Cyber webpage has over three dozen links to websites designed to teach people about Internet security. OnGuardOnline.gov is designed to guide a person through the educational experience with ease.
Even if one does not know much (or anything) about computers or the Internet, one can still benefit from the knowledge.
Aside from educational campaigns, the U.S. Government has been implementing ways to monitor and protect computers and networks.
Continued on the next page...
One example is the Einstein 3 program. This program is an Internet monitoring and cyberdefense system. It monitors Internet traffic and scans it for potential threats, and if it detects a threat, it can eliminate or deflect the problem immediately.
Internet monitoring by the government at such a level has raised many concerns over issues of privacy. The idea of the government monitoring the Internet transactions makes many uneasy. However, the Einstein system was designed to protect Federal civilian government networks. Private sector participation is completely voluntary. At the same time, the system and its infrastructure are well documented and completely transparent.
This is a sharp contrast to the mandatory Internet monitoring that happens in other countries. In China, for example, monitoring an individual’s personal information and Internet activity is not only mandatory, but written policy.
Suppose that a website in China wants to set up a simple BBS (Bulletin Board System): they have to meet a very strict set of requirements. As stipulated by the “Beijing Telecommunications Administration,” a BBS must “...be capable of recording for them information such as the time spent online by Internet users, user account numbers, Internet addresses or domain names and dial-up telephone numbers, and of storing such recorded information for 60 days.”
They are also required to hire administrators to filter and screen postings. And during registration, users are required to give not only names and addresses, but also their ID numbers (the Chinese equivalent to a social security number).
So even though the Einstein 3 system does scan content, users are still free to exercise their First Amendment rights. And the systems scan content, not actual people, allowing a level of privacy to the users.
In the U.S., for websites in the private sector, calls to action have been taking place. Earlier this year Craigslist.org removed its “adult services” section after it received an open letter from 17 Attorney Generals. This happened after several allegations that the website was used by some for prostitution and human trafficking. Backpage.com has also come into focus, and many of their categories are no longer accessible and simply marked “under review.”
Other examples of calls to action are citizens’ demands for “net neutrality” on the Internet, which would basically give Internet users full access to any content or service from the Internet, and nothing would be controlled by the Internet service provider, or anyone else. Cases for net neutrality are being dealt with by the FFC.
Laws and policies do take time and careful planning. In the fast-paced technology world, it may be difficult to keep the law up to date and in sync with the changes. This, however, has not stopped the U.S. Government from taking action in other ways. Malware, computer crimes, and cyberterrorism are taken very seriously. Education, in particular, can be a power ally in any “battleground.” The Internet itself was created by a branch of the U.S. Government, which makes this virtual battleground home turf for them.
Creating and changing laws to protect American citizens from computer-based threats is a lengthy process, with many variables involved. In the meantime, the U.S. government has been taking other steps to provide its citizens with powerful tools of protection by giving them tools to educate themselves.
On Oct. 1, President Barrack Obama kicked off National Cybersecurity Awareness Month by issuing a proclamation outlining his plan to make the Internet safer for the American citizens. In this proclamation are links to educational websites sponsored by the government as well as an introduction to his “Stop. Think. Connect.” campaign.
According to President Obama, this campaign can help Americans to, “...learn about and become more aware of risks in cyberspace, and be empowered to make choices that contribute to our overall security.”
The President’s proclamation and the “Stop. Think. Connect.” campaign do encompass a few aspects of what the U.S. Government is doing to improve cybersecurity in this country. They are empowering the American people to know what dangers there are and what to do about these dangers.
In his proclamation, the President states, “All Americans must recognize our shared responsibility and play an active role in securing the cyber networks we use every day.” And that includes government and citizens under the same category, similar to the mentality behind “We the People...”
This point was reinforced when Howard Schmidt, White House Cybersecurity Coordinator and Special Adviser to the President, posted an update to the official White House blog, where he made a statement about the “Stop. Think. Connect.” campaign as a way, “... to help all digital citizens employ universal behaviors to protect themselves, no matter what they are doing online or how they are connecting to the Internet.”
The U.S. Government understands well one point: knowledge is important. A large number of computer crimes and most viruses and malware are designed to specifically target the unknowing and unsuspecting computer users of the world. If everyone knows what a “phishing site” is and how to avoid it, then the effectiveness of those scams would naturally drop significantly.
Two tools given to the American citizens are DHS.gov/Cyber and OnGuardOnline.gov, which President Obama mentioned in his proclamation. The DHS.gov/Cyber webpage has over three dozen links to websites designed to teach people about Internet security. OnGuardOnline.gov is designed to guide a person through the educational experience with ease.
Even if one does not know much (or anything) about computers or the Internet, one can still benefit from the knowledge.
Aside from educational campaigns, the U.S. Government has been implementing ways to monitor and protect computers and networks.
Continued on the next page...
One example is the Einstein 3 program. This program is an Internet monitoring and cyberdefense system. It monitors Internet traffic and scans it for potential threats, and if it detects a threat, it can eliminate or deflect the problem immediately.
Internet monitoring by the government at such a level has raised many concerns over issues of privacy. The idea of the government monitoring the Internet transactions makes many uneasy. However, the Einstein system was designed to protect Federal civilian government networks. Private sector participation is completely voluntary. At the same time, the system and its infrastructure are well documented and completely transparent.
This is a sharp contrast to the mandatory Internet monitoring that happens in other countries. In China, for example, monitoring an individual’s personal information and Internet activity is not only mandatory, but written policy.
Suppose that a website in China wants to set up a simple BBS (Bulletin Board System): they have to meet a very strict set of requirements. As stipulated by the “Beijing Telecommunications Administration,” a BBS must “...be capable of recording for them information such as the time spent online by Internet users, user account numbers, Internet addresses or domain names and dial-up telephone numbers, and of storing such recorded information for 60 days.”
They are also required to hire administrators to filter and screen postings. And during registration, users are required to give not only names and addresses, but also their ID numbers (the Chinese equivalent to a social security number).
So even though the Einstein 3 system does scan content, users are still free to exercise their First Amendment rights. And the systems scan content, not actual people, allowing a level of privacy to the users.
In the U.S., for websites in the private sector, calls to action have been taking place. Earlier this year Craigslist.org removed its “adult services” section after it received an open letter from 17 Attorney Generals. This happened after several allegations that the website was used by some for prostitution and human trafficking. Backpage.com has also come into focus, and many of their categories are no longer accessible and simply marked “under review.”
Other examples of calls to action are citizens’ demands for “net neutrality” on the Internet, which would basically give Internet users full access to any content or service from the Internet, and nothing would be controlled by the Internet service provider, or anyone else. Cases for net neutrality are being dealt with by the FFC.
Laws and policies do take time and careful planning. In the fast-paced technology world, it may be difficult to keep the law up to date and in sync with the changes. This, however, has not stopped the U.S. Government from taking action in other ways. Malware, computer crimes, and cyberterrorism are taken very seriously. Education, in particular, can be a power ally in any “battleground.” The Internet itself was created by a branch of the U.S. Government, which makes this virtual battleground home turf for them.
