Master’s Level Case Study: The use of information technology (IT) by the United States government for data acquisition, process control, information management systems, and numerous other cyber-based activities, continues to grow. This also means that if these systems are not secured a cyber intruder can gain access to sensitive government documents and systems.
Research two different cases where U.S. cybersecurity was breached through information systems that could have jeopardized national security. (needs to be 16 pages in length, approximately 8 pages on each case give or take)
Explain in detail what happened in the case and the method by which the hacker/intruder breached cybersecurity (worm,virus,hacking, etc.). Then explain how the agency addressed the security breach (installed new firewalls, stronge passwords, etc)
Example Case 1: A hacker stole a file containing the names and Social Security numbers of 1,500 people working for the Energy Department’s nuclear weapons agency, scary eh? The data theft occurred in a puter system at a service center belonging to the National Nuclear Security Administration in Albuquerque, New Mexico. The file contained information about contract workers throughout the agency’s nuclear weapons plex.
Example Case 2: After allegedly hacking into NASA websites — where he says he found images of what looked like extraterrestrial spaceships — the 40-year-old Briton faces extradition to the United States from his North London home. If convicted, McKinnon could receive a 70-year prison term and up to $2 million in fines. McKinnon, whose extensive search through U.S. puter networks was allegedly conducted between February 2001 and March 2002, picked a particularly poor time to expose U.S. national security failings in light of the terror attacks of Sept. 11, 2001.
(These are just examples to give the writer an idea of what types of cases I am looking for)
This paper will be run thru a plagiarism software scanning system, so all sources need to be cited accurately. I do not need to receive the paper until Tuesday May 8, 2007 after lunch. Any questions call or email with Case Study in the subject heading.
The Journal of Information Systems Security and other Homeland Security journals are good resources. The format is left up to the writer as long as it a standard type like APA or MLA. Someone with a strong II background would be a good candidate to write this.
KEYWORDS: cybersecurity, cyberterrorism