Caroline Butler
November 30, 2023
Introduction
Cybersecurity-related technical systems play a huge social role in today’s world. Cybersecurity-related technical systems are utilized to ensure a person’s private data is protected, an organization’s data is protected, and are utilized by objects that we encounter everyday. Without cybersecurity-related technical systems, our personal information would be stolen and cyber criminals can overtake the internet by committing numerous cyber crimes/cyber attacks that consist of identity theft, terrorism, phishing attacks, etc. Two cybersecurity-related technical systems that have a social impact on today’s world that I am going to be discussing consist of The CIA Triad and SCADA Systems. I will also be discussing the Short Arm of Predictive Knowledge subsequently as well.
The CIA Triad
The first cyber security-related technical system that has a social impact in today’s world is entitled The CIA Triad (1). The CIA Triad is a cybersecurity system that is mainly utilized by organizations. The letters in the CIA Triad stand for Confidentiality, Integrity, and Availability. The first component of the CIA Triad is called Confidentiality. Confidentiality is a principle that utilizes protective measures that are guaranteed to protect an individual’s private information and to ensure that any unauthorized users are not privy to this individual’s personal information as well. The second component of the CIA Triad is called Integrity. Integrity is a principle that implies data in a computer is accurate, clear, and is to ensure that data is not breached from outside sources. The third component of the CIA Triad is called Availability. Availability is a principle that denotes information that is regularly available and easily accessed to authorized groups of online users. The purpose of the CIA Triad is to provide businesses with a model to protect their data in case of a potential cyberattack in a business. All three of the CIA Triad principles provide a foundation of security systems that are used to protect data, as well as guidelines that are implemented in organizations. According to Prakash, “The CIA triad constitutes the core basis for the development of security systems and policies for institutions. As such, the CIA triad plays a critical part in maintaining your data safe and protected against growing cyber threats.” (Prakash, 2023). With the rapid development of technology, it is imperative that the necessary security protocols are implemented and are going to be of use to businesses. The CIA Triad provides a blueprint to make sure that computer data is protected. According to Chai, “Considering these three principles together within the framework of the “triad” can help guide the development of security policies for organizations.” (Chai, 2022). The CIA Triad is very beneficial in protecting businesses’ computer data. By enforcing the three important principles of the CIA Triad, a business’s computer data will always remain confidential.
SCADA Systems
The second cyber security-related technical system that has a social impact in today’s world is entitled SCADA Systems (2). The letters SCADA stands for Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition. SCADA Systems can be utilized to help mitigate the vulnerabilities associated with critical infrastructure systems. These vulnerabilities are organized into three categories that consist of Natural, Human-Caused, and Accidental or Technical. (Tal, 2018). SCADA Systems are in connection with Industrial Control Systems. Industrial Control Systems can control numerous infrastructure processes, facility-based processes, or industrial processes. According to the article entitled SCADA Systems, “Supervisory control and data acquisition – SCADA refers to ICS (industrial control systems) used to control infrastructure processes (water treatment, wastewater treatment, gas pipelines, wind farms, etc), facility-based processes (airports, space stations, ships, etc,) or industrial processes (production, manufacturing, refining, power generation, etc).” (SCADA Systems). SCADA Systems are made up of systems that monitor sites and are scattered over large areas. According to the article entitled SCADA Systems, “SCADA refers to the centralized systems that control and monitor the entire sites, or they are the complex systems spread out over large areas.” (SCADA Systems). SCADA Systems can help reduce catastrophic weather events. The aftermath of catastrophic weather events can consist of flooding hazards and runoff stormwater. A cloud-based SCADA System can be used by scientists and engineers to monitor draining levels and hazardous floods. As the runoff stormwater starts to appear online, the SCADA equipment will be able to report any potential maintenance issues. Due to the cloud-based SCADA System, online users can now access this crucial information. According to Balsom, “A Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition system connects engineers, scientists and planners to monitoring equipment that can give them information about drainage levels, flooding hazards and water quality in real time. As runoff solutions come online, SCADA-connected equipment will be able to report maintenance issues and other alarms. With a cloud-based system, users can access all of this information from a safe location.” (Balsom, 2020). SCADA Systems can help reduce human-induced crimes. A SCADA System can be used to implement the most promising Cybersecurity measures in place, such as in government agencies and organizations, to detect any hackers who can intrude on their control systems. This can result in Terrorism crimes being prevented. According to Kurii, “Due to this increase in demand and use of SCADA and ICS, it is crucial to have the best SCADA cyber security measures in place, especially since a large number of government agencies and organisations have encountered significant security challenges. Such issues include providing new technologies and partners with a high level of access into an organisation’s systems, introducing the potential for outside hackers who can infiltrate their control systems.” (Kurii, 2023). Lastly, SCADA Systems can help reduce the amount of Safety-System Failures. Car accidents are under the category of Safety-System Failures. Car accidents can happen due to motorists speeding, running through red traffic lights, not paying attention, etc. SCADA Systems can be used to monitor traffic lights, as well as other systems that individuals use on a daily basis. With the SCADA Systems being implemented to ensure that traffic lights are functioning properly at all times, it can help reduce the number of car accidents. According to the article entitled SCADA Systems, “SCADA systems also are used for monitoring and controlling physical processes, like distribution of water, traffic lights, electricity transmissions, gas transportation and oil pipelines and other systems used in the modern society. Security is extremely important because destruction of the systems would have very bad consequences.” (SCADA Systems). With the implementation of SCADA Systems, it can help reduce the number of vulnerabilities associated with critical infrastructure systems. With the execution of SCADA Systems, critical infrastructure systems can be operated safely and efficiently.
The Short Arm of Predictive Knowledge
Although there are cybersecurity-related technical systems that are implemented to prohibit the amount of cyber crimes/cyber attacks that take place in cyberspace, it is difficult to predict which cyber crimes/cyber attacks are going to be committed. Different cyber crimes/cyber attacks can be committed everyday. Cyber crimes/cyber attacks that can be committed consist of identity theft, phishing attacks, terrorism, data breaches, viruses, malware, etc. It is hard to predict which types of these cyber crimes/cyber attacks are going to be executed onto innocent online users. Therefore, I believe it is essential that cybersecurity professionals should constantly modify the development of cyber policies and infrastructure using the Short Arm of Predictive Knowledge (3). For example, even though the CIA Triad is cybersecurity-related technical system that is implemented to ensure that an individual’s personal information does not get stolen, cyber criminals can still find a way to steal their information because there is no cyber policy entailing that cyber criminals are not allowed to steal an individual’s personal information and do malicious things with that individuals personal information, such as identity theft. Another example is the SCADA Systems. Although there are SCADA Systems that are utilized to help reduce the vulnerabilities associated with critical infrastructure systems, cyber criminals can find a way to hack into critical infrastructure systems, resulting in crucial information not being transmitted to civilians due to a breach in a critical infrastructure system. The development of cyber policies and infrastructure need to be constantly updated due to the uncertainty of which cyber crimes and cyber attacks are going to be executed, the severity of these cyber crimes and cyber attacks, and the uncertain future of cyberspace. A cybersecurity policy consists of guidelines and principles that are intertwined into a policy to ensure that a company’s employees know how to react when there is a cyber crime/cyber attack taking place. According to Gartner, “A cybersecurity policy defines and documents an organization’s statement of intent, principles and approaches to ensure effective management of cybersecurity risks in pursuit of its strategic objectives.” (Definition of Cybersecurity Policies – Gartner Information Technology Glossary). By using the Short Arm of Predictive Knowledge, cybersecurity professionals can develop strong cybersecurity policies to help combat cyber criminals committing cyber crimes/cyber attacks. By constantly monitoring the cyber space to determine which cyber crime/cyber attacks are being committed the most, cybersecurity policies can be created to ensure that these malicious crimes are not executed onto an innocent online user.
Conclusion
In conclusion, cybersecurity-related technical systems play a huge social role and have a social impact in today’s world as well. As I have stated in preceding paragraphs, two cybersecurity-related technical systems that have a social impact in today’s world consist of the CIA Triad and SCADA Systems. The CIA Triad is a cybersecurity technical system that is utilized by organizations. The purpose of the CIA Triad is to provide organizations with a model to protect their data in case of a future cyberattack. The second cybersecurity-technical system that plays a social role in today’s world is SCADA Systems. SCADA Systems can be used to help reduce the vulnerabilities associated with critical infrastructure systems. SCADA Systems can help reduce catastrophic weather events, reduce human-induced crimes, and can reduce the amount of Safety-System Failures. With the execution of SCADA Systems, critical infrastructure systems can be operated safely and efficiently. Other individuals may object that cybersecurity-related technical systems play a huge technological role due to protecting an individual’s private information and ensuring that critical infrastructure systems are operating efficiently. Research has shown that organizations rely on technological solutions in the event of a cyber crime/cyber attack. According to Conrad, “However, many organizations still take an overly technocratic approach to cybersecurity, relying on the latest and greatest tech-driven solutions to solve what is ultimately a very human issue. Because, while undoubtedly technology plays a key role in mitigating cyberthreats, good cybersecurity is more than a technical feat – it’s a people feat.” (Conrad, 2022). However, humans and technological solutions should work together, not work against each other to reduce the amount of cyber crimes/cyber attacks. In summary, I believe that cybersecurity-related technical systems play a huge social role and have a social impact in today’s world. Cybersecurity-related technical systems can be utilized for many things, from protecting an individual’s private information, to making sure that critical infrastructure systems that we encounter everyday are functioning properly. These cybersecurity-related technical systems also protect us from potential cyber crimes/cyber attacks that consist of identity theft, phishing attacks, password attacks, etc. There are other individuals that argue that organizations rely on technological solutions to combat cyber crimes/attacks. Society should utilize cybersecurity-related technical systems on a daily basis because they can protect civilians from their information being stolen and can prevent future data breaches as well.
References
Balsom, P. (2020, October 1). Monitoring Storm Water Runoff With SCADA Systems. High Tide Technologies. https://htt.io/monitoring-storm-water-runoff-with-scada-systems/
Chai, W. (2022, June 28). What is the CIA triad_ definition, explanation, examples – techtarget.pdf. Google Drive. https://drive.google.com/file/d/1898r4pGpKHN6bmKcwlxPdVZpCC6Moy8l/view
Conrad, S. (2022, June 15). Cybersecurity is about people, not technology. Emsisoft. https://www.emsisoft.com/en/blog/41311/cybersecurity-is-about-people-not-technology/#:~:text=However%2C%20many%20organizations%20still%20take%20an%20overly%20technocratic,a%20technical%20feat%20%E2%80%93%20it%E2%80%99s%20a%20people%20feat.
Definition of Cybersecurity Policies – Gartner Information Technology Glossary. Gartner. (n.d.). https://www.gartner.com/en/information-technology/glossary/cybersecurity-policies
Extreme Weather and Climate Change. Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency CISA. (n.d.). https://www.cisa.gov/topics/critical-infrastructure-security-and-resilience/extreme-weather-and-climate-change#:~:text=Droughts%20have%20become%20more%20frequent,millions%20of%20Americans%20depend%20upon.
A Guide to Critical Infrastructure Security and Resilience . Cybersecurity & Infrastructure Security Agency. (2019, November). https://www.cisa.gov/sites/default/files/publications/Guide-Critical-Infrastructure-Security-Resilience-110819-508v2.pdf?trk=public_post_comment-text
Kurii, Y. (2023, September 14). SCADA Cyber Security Threats and Countermeasures: Ultimate Checklist. ELEKS. https://eleks.com/blog/scada-cyber-security-threats-countermeasures/
Prakash, M. (2023, September 6). CIA Triad in cyber security: Definition, examples, importance. KnowledgeHut. https://www.knowledgehut.com/blog/security/cia-in-cyber-security
SCADA Systems. (n.d.). https://www.scadasystems.net/
Systemic Approach to Safety. U.S. Department of Transportation Federal Highway Administration. (n.d.). https://highways.dot.gov/safety/data-analysis-tools/systemic#:~:text=A%20systemic%20approach%20to%20safety,efforts%20at%20little%20extra%20cost.
Tal, J. (2018, October 2). America’s Critical Infrastructure: Threats, Vulnerabilities and Solutions. Security Info Watch. https://www.securityinfowatch.com/access-identity/access-control/article/12427447/americas-critical-infrastructure-threats-vulnerabilities-and-solutions