Running head ISOL 534 – Application Security 1Running head.docx
- 1. Running head: ISOL 534 – Application Security 1 Running head: ISOL 534 – Application Security 2 Week-2 Research Paper Topic Name: Nikhil Vasani Course: ISOL-534 Professor: Dr. Jerry Alsay University of the Cumberland May 23, 2019 Introduction The topic of security has been an issue for many countries and citizens alike as countries struggle to root out the vice of
- 2. insecurity that is posing a great threat especially during this technological era where everything is virtually done online. Today every country around the world is grappling with keeping its citizens and institutions safe from external attacks and threats. Some of these threats could be motivated by various factors ranging from political, economic and social issues which make individuals or groups plan some sort of leveling score mission. If we were to review history in the early days during the 17th and 18th century the issues of insecurity among various nations were in existence but not at the height it is in the wake of the 21st century. Those days’ strategic alliances worked best in culminating threats of external and internal invasion, various leaders would call for peaceful resolution of the indifference that might exist between or among groups of nations. The mode or means of attack was not as sophisticated as it today since the only way terrorists would invade empires those days were through the physical means of actually leading an invasion group or plotting with a team on the ground to execute their plan. Today this tactic has changed leaving institutions mandated with protecting our boundaries and keeping the people safe with a huge task of coming up with various ways of knowing how, where and when the security threats might actually occur. Some of the world leading security institutions that have earned a name for themselves are the homeland security, the Federal Bureau of Investigation FBI and Scotland Yard. These institutions have in the recent past prevented so many attacks plotted against the United States of America and many countries around the world through tapping the wide insecurity network around the world. Background research The issue of terrorism and external attacks has led to numerous loss of lives and property and must be cubed and properly managed using the most efficient methods so as to ensure proper security. It is evident that terrorists no longer use outdated
- 3. strategies while carrying out attacks. With technology evolving with time, they have learned and mastered the use of new technology and have succeeded in coming up with some of the toughest attacks to prevent. Therefore, the DHS is left with a tough task and must improvise some of the best tactics in their strategic plan so as to have a proper chance in managing the situation. The intelligent gathering is one of the best elements that can be applied by the DHS in order to come up with the right solutions that will stop or prevent external attacks and terrorism. This research is objectively going to look at the effects of the intelligence gathering by the Department of Homeland Security on the nation and its citizens. Despite their speckle reputation, the institution agrees they are facing serious challenges especially in learning the new tactics terrorists have resorted to. As the common saying goes that the security of our nation starts with me this statement has lost meaning to other people who for some reasons have decided to betray their country and sell it to the highest bidder who is interested in inflicting terror to the people and the central authority of this country due to some either economic, political and social vendetta they hold against this peace-loving nation. The role of keeping the nation safe cannot be left on the hands of Homeland security alone as it is a collaborative effort that requires input from all the sectors of the country. So, the individuals who are quick to put such institutions into scrutiny for reluctance on their job should at least do it objectively. Problem statement In order for various security institutions of various countries around the world for instance the Homeland security to be able to effectively root out this menace of insecurity they must be able to understand the changing trends extremist groups and individual use to inflict harm to other nations or people, conduct thorough prerequisite on the various loopholes that might be exploited to conduct such heinous acts against humanity and the sovereignty of a state. The government should
- 4. also step in fully to provide adequate funding for this institution to enable it to execute its mandate properly (Salter, 2013). One of the critical departments of Homeland security in the realization of this objective of peaceful coexistence is the department he manages and ensures security in our borders the department of border control. The main issue this department is facing is the issue of intelligence gathering since we can all agree that for the institutions to acts swiftly and effectively they must base their judgmental call to action plan on some intelligence they have gathered and validated to be crucial leads to the security threats they are dealing with. For example, the worst ever terrorist attack to be ever done on American soil that left many people dead and so many more hospitalize termed the 9/11 attack left all security agencies with the questions how the terrorist have managed to pass through all the security checks done on the border (Girard & Sercia, 2013). This prompted all state and non-governmental agencies homeland security included to revisit all their security systems to establish any leaks that might have been used to smuggling in the perpetrators. Since then intelligence gathering has been one of the main mandates of the homeland security the department of border control and management. Research question What security measures can countries come up with to keep their borders and citizens safe? According to the statistics on crime, especially terror done by the London school of economics and statistics indicated that most of the suspects were immigrants from Muslim extremist nations. This has made any countries around the world to toughen some of the regulations that permit immigrants into any nation (Frazier, 2010). The worst-case scenario is currently being seen in Italy where caravans of immigrants arrive at the port of Italy having traveled over the world just to seek refuge. Well, humanitarians have claimed that a country should not
- 5. deny foreign citizens the asylum request if they escaped their mother country as a result of war and other natural calamities. Some individuals or groups with ill motives will take advantage of the situation and smuggle in illegal weaponry for committing such heinous acts against the human’s race. Now the department of border control and management is facing a hard time collecting intelligence about any citizen that is suspected to be connected to any terrorist group and apprehend them (Seo, Gupta, Sallam, Bertino & Yim, 2014). Now the intelligence-gathering process is facing so many challenges included the underfunding from the government to enable them to run their intelligence work properly. Also, the humanitarian bodies that are creating sanctions to countries refusing to grant asylum to refugees are making the intelligence gathering process be polities which will definitely affect the results of such intelligence. Intelligence gathering is one of the best methods that when properly utilized by the DHS can vigorously increase the chances of winning. It has played a vital role in securing and managing incidents of terrorism. By using this tactic, the DHS is capable of predicting and anticipating every move that the terrorists are planning on. They are then able to come with the best solution for handling the situation and coming up with a proper emergency response. By responding in time, they are then able to stop the attacks from happening. Changes in technology have resulted in modification of security measures and strategy thus having an impact on Intelligent gathering. Despite the success that the intelligence gathering has brought to the DHS, it has come with various demerits where it has actively broken the terms of law regarding the rights of personal privacy. Personal privacy must be protected from infringement at all costs. This is not the case when it comes to intelligence
- 6. gathering. According to The Washington Times, the situation was termed as “A Super Snoop’s Dream.” Columnist William Safire of the New York Times also warned of a dangerous intrusion into people’s lives and that everyone was a suspect. He also predicted that all the transactions and communications made by everyone will go into a virtual centralized grand database of the Defense Department describes (Hill, Moloney, Mize, Himelick & Guest,2011). The government will be able to have every bit of everyone’s information including passport application, driving license and every record information about the citizens. A year ago, U.S.A. Patriot Act was passed which expanded the scope of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act and broke the terms of the law of fifteen privacy laws. The United States Federal government may search and collect emails, cell phones, and other electronic data from American citizens without necessarily seeking a warrant. This is because the National Security Agency has an added advantage that gives it a legal right and authority to search for the emails and phones for the United States citizens without justifying a probable cause. The DHS has special mandates and can access the messages in the emails and phone numbers. All this personal information is vital in intelligent gathering so as to inspect every individual and ensure that no one is guilty of any suspicious actions. In summary, the topic of security is a very broad and sensitive topic subject that requires input from various, not just the institutions mandated with the role of ensuring nations and their citizens are kept safe.
- 7. References Girard, A., & Sercia, P. (2013). Immigration and food insecurity: social and nutritional issues for recent immigrants in Montreal, Canada. Frazier, M. W. (2010). Socialist insecurity: Pensions and the politics of uneven development in China (p. 2). Ithaca, NY: Cornell University Press. Salter, M. B. (2013). At the threshold of security: a theory of international borders. In Global Surveillance and Policing (pp. 48-62). Willan. Lazaridis, G. (2016). Security, insecurity and migration in Europe. Routledge. King, N. J., & Raja, V. T. (2012). Protecting the privacy and security of sensitive customer data in the cloud. Computer Law & Security Review, 28(3), 308-319.