below are response to question and answers. Please resond to the question and answer in your opinion as to how you think it was answered.You are not required to include references in these secondary comments. However, including references will support your discussion will help. 1 PRAGRAPH IS FINE FOR EACH TOPIC

TOPIC 1

Changes to business enterprises in response to the commercialization and growth of the Internet are often seen as by-products of revolutionary change.

A. Why is the Internet viewed as a revolutionary change?

B. Describe some of the attributes of revolutionary change brought about by the Internet and their impacts on security.

You are encouraged to include real examples from your past studies that you can share with your fellow students

***ANSWER***
Why is the Internet viewed as a revolutionary change?
The Internet is viewed as a revolutionary change due to its equalizing potential. It allows every demographic in every reach of society to witness and communicate with any other. At the same time, it allows even the smallest individuals in the least developed nations to access the secrets and touch the vulnerabilities of the most powerful.
Describe some of the attributes of revolutionary change brought about by the Internet and their impacts on security.
Among the characteristics of change introduced by the Internet is cyberwar. Russia has successfully applied cybewarfare in Estonia, Georgia, and the Ukraine. The anonymity of the Internet emboldens cybercriminals and state actors alike. Apparent attribution is quickly made ethereal through contrived explanations. During the 2007 Estonian incident, computers with Russian Internet service provider (ISP) addresses proved to be the origins of the attacks. However, Russian authorities shrugged off accusations, claiming those computers were merely hijacked victims, no different than the bots involved (Ashmore, 2009).
Similarly, China stands ready to attack and respond to attribution with its three warfares. According to Sun Tzu (as cited in Thomas, 2010), “all war is deception” (p. 108). Through the first warfare, China’s state media places the state’s illicit activities in a blameless and virtuous light. The second tasks state-sponsored legal experts with formulating justifications for the country’s intellectual property thefts. Finally, in the third warfare, China charges psychological warfare experts with the duty of bolstering local morale while dampening that of its enemies. Through these warfares, China seeks to save face while buttressing public and international opinion (Thomas, 2010). In a 20 Ma7, 2014 report, China responded to indictments against five of its Army officers for “illegally accessing protected computers, identity theft, economic espionage and stealing trade secrets”, with a formulated and mechanized retort (as cited in Song, 2014, para. 5). Specifically, China ignored the financial-gain aspect, stating that “the indictments are ‘based on deliberately fabricated facts… [The U.S. has] long been involved in large-scale and organized cyber theft as well as wiretapping and surveillance activities…” (as cited in Song, 2014, para. 6). The advent of the Internet and China’s use of state resources to steal from the West and give those gains to its industries have served to quadruple the country’s gross domestic product over the past two decades alone (Noonan, 2012). U.S. academia’s development of the Internet has revolutionized China’s economy at the expense of U.S. innovators. Before the Internet, nations risked physical placement of spies who had to integrate with an organization and develop means of removing documents from a facility, or employ technical surveillance equipment within and above the earth’s atmosphere. Today, a state-sponsored actor can inflict far greater damage from the security of a computer terminal, far from foreign soil.
References
Ashmore, W. C. (2009). Impact of alleged Russian cyber attacks. Baltic Security & Defence Review, 11(1), 4-40. Retrieved from http://www.bdcol.ee/files/files/documents/Research/BSDR2009/1_%20Ashmore%20-%20Impact%20of%20Alleged%20Russian%20Cyber%20Attacks%20.pdf
La Monica, P. R. (2014, May 15). China’s economic dragon still roars. The Buzz. Retrieved from http://buzz.money.cnn.com/2014/05/15/china-hard-landing-fears/
Noonan, P. (2012). The quantity and quality of intellectual property rights in China. Australian Economic Review, 45(4), 478-483. doi:10.1111/j.1467-8462.2012.00710.x
Song, J. (2014, May 20). How will Chinaa retaliate against U.S. hacking charges? CBS This Morning. Retrieved from http://www.cbsnews.com/news/china-economic-espionage-charges-mike-morell-former-deputy-cia-director-says-expect-retaliation/
Thomas, T. L. (2010). Google confronts China’s “three warfares”. Parameters: U.S. Army War College, 40(2), 101. Retrieved from http://eds.a.ebscohost.com.vlib.excelsior.edu/eds/detail?vid=11&sid=b7751756-c87e-43e6-bb39-1d19b1e4a193%40sessionmgr4005&hid=4208&bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWRzLWxpdmUmc2NvcGU9c2l0ZQ%3d%3d#db=edb&AN=60577860

***TOPIC 2***

Revolutionary change often creates a paradigm shift. Given a new paradigm, it would be beneficial to redraw the cybersecurity landscape, critically assessing how the problem of cybersecurity should be defined.

What exactly is cybersecurity?  Is it a function or task?  Is it a strategy?  Is it about crime?  Is it about national security?

***ANSWER***
formation technology and assets are becoming an increasingly important aspect of everyday life. As such, governments and corporations are investing unprecedented amounts of resources in “cybersecurity.” What is cybersecurity? Generally, cybersecurity is a broad and loosely defined term that encompasses a range of information security technologies and services, including identity and access management, breach incident response and the protection of information technology infrastructure such as networks, routers, email and web servers (Bissell, 2013). However, it is not a simple function or task of providing protection to cyber assets. In today’s technology-dependent world cybersecurity is a strategy aimed to preserve our way of life.

Cyber crime and cyber attacks are not the impetuses that drive the need for cybersecurity. Vitality is what drives cybersecurity. Cybersecurity strategies are designed to ensure survival and the continuation of a purposeful existence. Today, every significant public and private activity – economic, social, governmental, and military – depends on the security of information systems. Yet, those systems remain inherently vulnerable (Brenner, 2010). The modern world has become so dependent on information technology that a catastrophic failure could have devastating consequences. However, even a seemingly harmless event could have a ripple effect across an enterprise. That is why cybersecurity is more than a compliance issue (Bissell, 2013). Cybersecurity must move beyond an auditable, check-the-box routine and become an on-going, proactive approach.

References:
Bissell, K. (2013). A Strategic Approach to CYBERSECURITY. Financial Executive, 29(2), 36-41.
Brenner, J. F. (2010). Privacy and Security Why Isn’t Cyberspace More Secure?. Communications Of The ACM, 53(11), 33-35. doi:10.1145/1839676.1839688

***TOPIC 3***
A. What is an asymmetric threat?

B. Describe some dynamic approaches for defending against an asymmetric threat

****ANSWER***

A. What is an asymmetric threat?

An asymmetric threat has a complicated etymology. A conflict or war can simply be asymmetric based on one side having more people or resources than the other. Asymmetric wars can also be a difference in approaches or methods of fighting. A modern post 9/11 definition of asymmetric war is related to the the changing role the state plays. Wars are no longer fought by two states with conventional weapons and clearly defined enemies. Today’s threats come from terrorists, proxies, mercenaries, and other non-state actors. There are asymmetric threats from non-state actors who can do great damage to commerce and infrastructure using computers. The internet allows actors that take refuge within a sovereign nation to act on their own accord against other nations using cyber attacks (Ruzo, n.d.; UMUC, 2014).

B. Describe some dynamic approaches for defending against an asymmetric threat.

To create a dynamic approach, there are lessons that can be learned after the 9/11 attacks. The attacks were an asymmetric attack that exemplifies failures of national security. By understanding what part of the system failed, new strategies can be developed and applied to defending against asymmetric cyber threats. The government was emphasizing classification of information over sharing of knowledge which prevented the pieces of the puzzle from being put together. There should be fact finding procedures that can help understand all aspects of cyber threats. A key takeaway from the 9/11 Commision is “We propose that information be shared horizontally, across new networks that transcend individual agencies” (UMUC, 2014).

Defense in depth using risk-based analysis can also help create a dynamic approach for defending against asymmetric threats. This can be useful because a layer of the defense can be training staff to respond to a threat rather than using a technological control. This may be more effective and adaptable.  It is important to keep many aspects of cybersecurity in mind when creating a defensive strategy including policy, training, and technology. Human factor controls will be able to defend against specific threats at one defense layer while technological may work at others  (UMUC, 2014).

UMUC. (2014). Responding to an asymmetric threat: CSEC670 module 1. Document posted in University of Maryland University College CSEC 670 online classroom, archived at: https://learn.umuc.edu

Ruzo, S. (n.d.). Asymmetric war or post-Westphalian war? War beyond the state. Document posted in University of Maryland University College CSEC 670 online classroom, archived at: https://learn.umuc.edu