Contemporary Security Studies: State Cyber-attack Threat Report

This report, prepared for the National Security Advisor, examines the escalating threat of state cyber-attacks, specifically focusing on the potential for Russian cyber-attacks targeting critical infrastructure such as power grids. It discusses the evolving nature of these threats, including the use of advanced techniques and the increasing sophistication of adversaries. The report analyzes the vulnerabilities of the U.S. power grid and the potential consequences of successful attacks, including widespread disruption and economic damage. It also explores the roles and responsibilities of various government agencies, such as the DOD, intelligence community, and State Department, in identifying, mitigating, and responding to these threats. The report concludes with a set of practical, feasible policy recommendations designed to enhance national security and improve the resilience of critical infrastructure against cyber-attacks.

Running head: CONTEMPORARY SECURITY STUDIES
CONTEMPORARY SECURITY STUDIES
“Threat of State Cyber-attack”
Name of the Student
Name of the University
Author Note:

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Table of Contents
Introduction......................................................................................................................................2
Discussion........................................................................................................................................3
Upcoming threats shortly.............................................................................................................3
Protecting the grid........................................................................................................................6
Roles and Responsibilities for identifying and mitigating growing threat..................................7
Conclusion.......................................................................................................................................8
References......................................................................................................................................11

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Introduction
United States aim to encounter an array of threats which is completely based on their
national security. This is merely inclusive of political, military and social system. The overall
threat aims to developing a new and resurgent adversary for both political and military forces
(Liu et al., 2015). With the development of political and military certain number of
environmental changes tend to take place in Russia. Some of the environmental challenges are
water pollution, air quality, solid waste generation, disposal of hazardous waste and lastly
nuclear and chemical waste contamination. Threats can emerge from various events like regional
conflict and inequality in its economy. It will merely result in climate change and environmental
issues. There are variety of national intelligence and security firm like DHS and DIA which are
responsible for national security. It is all about identifying and encountering some of the
emerging threats (Do et al., 2017). It merely inclusive of department of defence, department of
state, officer of director of national intelligence. It is not easy to analyse the potential for some of
the long emerging threats. DOD official aim to provide a wide range of examples like Russian
Seizure for Ukraine territory that is Crimea. In this zone of conflict, there are various kind of
consequences (Atat et al., 2017). The conflict is between the countries like Russia focusing to
have soviet client relationship with Egypt and Libya. Various official at DOD highlighted the
fact that United States need to address huge number of issues due to adversaries. Russia is
working hard to define united states of status go power old world order. It is mainly so that they
can link the security objective or risk erosion of US for adversaries at Russia.
In the coming pages of the report an idea has been provided with respect to policy brief to
National Security Advisor. The last section of the report deals with recommendation for logical

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and feasible policy. The report ends with recommendation which will help in addressing the
security challenges.
Discussion
The officials of DOD accepted the fact that they need to adapt to the overall challenges
due to adversaries. There are challenges like Russia seizure the Ukrainian territory that is
Crimea. Chinese seizing the south china seas which is for building military island which is
defiance of international court ruling. The mere focus is all about linking the overall security and
economic objectives. A different official of Russia are more agile for United States so that they
can create relationship with other countries (Knowles et al., 2015). Russia are working on the
platform so that they can define United States for Status quo for power trying for preservation of
old world. This is mainly done so that they can prevent in becoming multipolar world.
Upcoming threats shortly
Paradox of progress aims to describe future trends which will ultimately help in shaping
the direction of the world in the upcoming days. Population of working age is being reduced in
some of the wealthy countries like Russia (Almeshekah & Spafford, 2016). While in some of the
poorer countries it is developing at a rapid rate. This particular step will ultimately have led to
development in employment, urbanization and welfare pressure. Weak economic growth will
ultimately help in persist in the upcoming day. Most of the economics will ultimately lead to
shrinkage of workforces and reduction of overall productivity (Mendel, 2017). This particular
step will help in recovering in case of financial crisis that come up with high debt. Factors like
inequality and concentration of wealth along with corruption will help in eroding trust of
authorities for driving political change. Overall development of technology will ultimately result

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in increase in the pace of their change and build up new opportunities. It will create much more
aggravate division in between the two that is winners and losers. Both the aspects that is
automation and artificial intelligence will ultimately bring huge amount of change to industries.
It will merely lead to adjust of potential displacing workers and reducing the usual route of some
of the poor countries so that they can develop. Some of upcoming biotechnologies like editing of
genome can easily revolutionize medicine and other domains.
In the upcoming years, there will be growth of tension as a result of growth of global
connectivity and poor economic growth. Popularity will ultimately result in development on
either left or right. Leaders can make use of nationalism so that they can shore up control.
Regional influence will be considered to be increasing consequence among the nearby countries
(Carr, 2016). This particular step will help the economic forces so that they can boost the status
of their women along with leadership roles. There will be increase in overall public demand for
government bodies so that they can provide prosperity and security. Aspects like distrust, flat
revenue and polarization will result in development of problem. It is expected that technology
will expand a range of players that can block different political actions (Lee, Bagheri & Jin,
2016). Conflict risk will ultimately result in increase in some of the diverging threats among the
major powers and expanding threat. This will ultimately lead to instability of weak states and
spreading of disruptive technologies. It is expected that disruptive societies which can become
common that comes up with long range of precision weapons and robotic system. This mainly
done so that they can target the required infrastructure by the help of some of the weapons which
result in mass destruction (Ben-Asher & Gonzalez, 2015). There are some global hazards which
can result in imminent and much longer threats which required long term threats. It merely
requires a list of action which is needed to be addressed as the cooperation are becoming harder

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in nature. Some of the parameters like weather, soil stress, water and pollution can bring huge
amount of changes in the overall changes in their living pattern (DiMase et al., 2015). There has
been tension with respect to overall growth with respect to climate change.
In the last few years, Russia has been on the news of making bold decision for utility
system for other nation. This is merely inclusive of publicized hack for utility grid in the year
2018. Various government officials have claimed the fact that cyber-attack on power grid will
require more than espionage (Bada, Sasse & Nurse, 2019). Russian hackers are left behind with
virtual tools which result in disrupt of grid by shutting the whole system. In the recent time, US
is considered to be on the offensive part. Both the countries have been probing with each other
with respect to grid defence. The first occurrence for the Americans is all about planting codes in
Russian system. Code is believed to comprises the Russian power grid in case of conflict in
between the countries.
The mere focus is all about keeping US cyber command for national security in
aggressive way. The overall approach started in the year 2018 for the executives which give the
government agencies the freedom to conduct the offensive operation without any kind of
approval. Russia is considered to be the central consideration in this policy shift. Overall reports
of cyber-attacks for power grid are mainly backed by proper concentration action (Essa et al,
2018). Russia is completely responsible for a large number of utility grid based attacks in various
zones of the world. On December 2015, the attack on Ukraine is considered to have shut down
most of the power in united states. United States aim to deploy a certain number of measures for
disrupting utilities and industry. But this has not been done on Russia till now.

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At the time of election of 2020, Russia need to focus on their cyber capabilities. The
organization focus on meddle US election hacker which will initiate blackout in some of the
zones in cyber-attacks for power grid where voters can easily poll. American retaliation need aim
to focus on the overall natural development by planting bits of Russian power. It will merely
contribute to the developing zone of welfare which does not have any rule or protocols. On
electricity department there are certain number of cyber-attacks which is considered to out of the
bound at the instance of peacetime. There is certain principle that is responsible for overall
cyber-behaviour which is provided UN and G7 for cyber-based infrastructure (Gupta, Agrawal &
Yamaguchi, 2016). Planting of malware in their infrastructure can be seen without triggering that
rights up to the present border. It is the present behaviour which accepted by the international
community along with not crossing the whole thing. The mere damage will ultimately cross the
line and can result in possibility of actual war.
Protecting the grid
There are many question that comes up to the mind at the instance of cyber-attacks on
grids like “How the security will be comprised”, “Level of Impact of this attack on the
individual”. One of the biggest obstacles in competing with the interest is all about limiting the
spending of wasteful government. If there are certain number of replacement and changes for
hike in rates and federal regulation they will need utility firm to disclose the details of spending.
The overall action of non-malicious insider is considered to be as one of the biggest threat. The
biggest reason for cyber-attack are employees who click on link of spoofed sites ultimately open
up door to cyber-attacks for power grid (Buczak & Guven, 2015). Russian hacker which
compromised on the given sites were known to be frequent on computers which is known as
“watering hole” attack. This particular attack can be defined as a security exploit where attacker

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focus to compromise with group of end users. It is mainly carried out by infecting website which
has member of group that aim to visit. The mere focus of this attack is all about infecting system
and gaining an access to network at the target place.
The present industry system comes up with needs for complete accessibility to internet. The
mere focus is all about air-gapping that touches the grid operation which is not possible.
Roles and Responsibilities for identifying and mitigating growing threat
Various bodies like DOD, intelligence community and State aim to play a key role in
analysing and mitigating the growing threats.
DOD: It aims to play a key role in large number of things like defending the homeland
from various missile and terrorist attack. In addition, it is also involved in protecting kinetic and
electromagnetic attack (Ssp.mit.edu, 2019). The organization works for preventing any kind of
adversaries that is both state and non-state actors from acquisition and weapon usage. It merely
leads to defending both military intelligence and U.S military from any kind of cyber-attacks.
The mere focus is all about conducting a cyber-operation. The body aims to rebuild their military
strength and improve the competitive advantage for United States and its partners. The
constraining comes up with ability to adversaries so that they can achieve their overall military
objectives (Security and Table, 2019). The organization aims in preventing terrorists for
preventing against U.S homeland and partners. DOD will assist state U.S Agency for any kind
international development that has natural disaster and response for conflict in various places of
the world.
State: It is the leading U.S foreign affairs agency that leads to institution for conduction
of American diplomacy. It aims to play a key role in protection and developing threats for United

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States by countering threats and adversaries (Govtech, 2019). It is completely based on the
relationship of U.S security and its partnership in various places of the world. The mere focus is
strengthening their allies and alliances. States come up with security proper security and capacity
building along with best military assistances (Gao.gov, 2019). Adding up with DOD and U.S
Agency for International development, states aim to make response for natural disaster and
conflict so that the can induce crises in various places of the world.
DHS: It aims to play a key role in preventing a range of threats with the homeland
security where the mere focus is all about terrorist attack in whole united states. The organization
aim to reduce the overall vulnerability of united states from any terrorist attack. It is mainly done
so that they can take place so that they can disrupt connection in between illegal drugs and
trafficking. The mere focus is all about coordinating efforts to the server along with connection.
Some of the official of DHS have added up agency for the defence of cyber infrastructure from
any kind of cyber-attack (Dni.gov, 2019). DHS is known to be primary responsibility which is
needed for border and security based issues. It is all about smuggling of contraband and human
into the homeland which is done through U.S coast guard and securing maritime approaches to
homeland.
ODNI: It aims to provide support to director of National Intelligence with role being
head of the intelligence community. This acts like principal advisor and national security council
(Anon, 2019). In addition, this require intelligence matter to the national security and overseas
the implementation of national intelligence program. This merely comprises of integrating
intelligence analysis which is needed for collection and driving information sharing

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Conclusion
From the above pages, the point can be concluded that the report is all about making
response to state cyber-attacks. Russian cyber-attack on power plant can easily give them power
to turn down their power. It will merely result in devastating outcomes. There are some kind of
internet based server which is different from offline function. There are many ongoing operations
which is considered to be an ongoing system which has been implemented many years ago. It
comes up with much greater level of integration which is very much expensive to replace. In
case of system, they need to be firewalled for making certain number of changes in their
infrastructure. It will be considered to be risk of non-malicious insider which is there on both
side of power plant. A range of vendors are looking for personal equipment so that they can
make control for their convenience. Irrespective of the type of firm that is either small or big, it
comes up with the power of defeating cyber-attacks on power grid that mainly comes up on the
board. The mere focus is all about employee training along with measuring limits so that they
can prevent downtime. There is not particular method by which complete protection can be given
to the power grid. There is need of adopting new and much better security after mishap. The
mere focus is all about boasting the chances of some kind of cyber-attacks. Overall mitigation of
damage due to human error can easily result in malicious attack. It does not require any kind of
spending that will result in cost for teaching workers for their utilities. Their contractors will
ultimately refrain from opening up the email attachments. There are some handful and logical
policy recommendations like
Password: There is a need of making changes in their default password for all the given
system which cannot be guessed in much easy way. US official need to make use of unique
password for each of the section of their system.

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Security Software: Security software will ultimately help the business in protecting
against malicious for any kind of unauthorized traffic.
Staff: Tampering of access to some of the malicious websites and attached files is a well
method of installing code their system. It will merely lead to compromise of their network.
Official need to a learn a bit more about unsolicited email attachments.
Software Patches: There is a need of keeping the software patches update and make use
of supported software version. It can be considered to be as an important step which is needed
for guarding malware infiltrating based system. Any kind of unpatched software is considered to
be door to cyber-attack.

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References
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