BALANCING SECURITY AND RESILIENCE: PROTECTING CRITICAL INFRASTRUCTURE IN AN UNCERTAIN WORLD

BALANCING SECURITY AND RESILIENCE: PROTECTING CRITICAL INFRASTRUCTURE IN AN UNCERTAIN WORLD

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BALANCING SECURITY AND RESILIENCE: PROTECTING CRITICAL INFRASTRUCTURE IN AN UNCERTAIN WORLD

The thought of terror attacks is something that is often concerning for most Americans since 9/11. For some, it is in the back of

their minds as they continue in their daily routines whereas others are constantly searching for ways to defend the country from

future attacks. This is where the need to find a delicate balance between security and civil liberties is necessary (Klovens, 2016).

The difficulty in successful deterrence methods is that there is no one way to prevent attacks while the number of targets is

massive. A Pew Research Center poll conducted in 2016 showed that 40% of Americans believe that there is a greater ability for

terrorists to attack the U.S. again since 9/11 (CBS News, 2021). Despite the fact that many plots have been foiled, there are a vast

number of soft targets that have been exposed, such as stadiums and concert halls, as was demonstrated in Manchester England

following an Ariana Grande concert in 2017. Intelligence shows that some of the least secured areas are those involving the

country’s infrastructure. Critical infrastructure refers to systems or assets that are so vital to the country that destroying them or

rendering them ineffective would adversely affect national security (Taylor & Swanson, 2019). As they have been identified, 16

sectors were added to a list of critical infrastructure and key resources (CI/KRs) that originated through the National Infrastructure

Protection Plan (NIPP) signed by President Bush in 2003. In 2013, President Obama extended the NIPP after signing Presidential

Policy Directive 21, entitled The Critical Infrastructure and Resilience Directive, which separated the CI/KRs into 16 categories

(Taylor & Swanson, 2019). These categories run the gamut of food, IT, defense, finance, water, and communications, each of which

could negatively affect the country if targeted. While each CI/KR is a target in and of itself, the combination of any two can be

exponentially catastrophic. This is because a failure of one sector could cascade into others causing failure in other areas (Mitsova

et al., 2020; Taylor & Swanson, 2019). Hence, identifying and hardening each of these vulnerabilities is essential in safeguarding the

security of the nation.

History has proven that infrastructure reliability has been tested even without the inclusion of nefarious acts. Between 2017 and

2018, Hurricanes Harvey, Isaac, Irma, and Maria left devastating paths damaging critical infrastructure sites tremendously. The

storms each created a lack of electricity, little to no communication, water and fuel shortages, and delays in federal aid that lasted

for months (Mitsova et al., 2020). The destructive forces caused a failure in one aspect as it rippled onto other sectors creating a

multiplicative effect on residents. For instance, taking out the power grid can also affect the ability to contact emergency first

responders and even hamper efforts in the medical industry to care for the injured. Additionally, it may affect certain

communications portals in that not only does it affect people calling for necessary help, it may also negatively affect first

responders’ ability to coordinate a response by not being able to talk to one another. The energy sector is one of the most extensive

as it includes electricity, petroleum, and natural gas. The power grid is one of the largest man-made CI/KRs as it is vital to society

(Rocchetta, 2022). While being able to harden all facilities to withstand every natural disaster, there are viable options to avoid them

from being tampered with by human factors. They are easy targets because they are often unmanned and unprotected by nothing

other than fencing (Smith, 2016). Many areas have already been vandalized or burglarized due to the lack of security measures in

place. Thus, efforts to harden these targets are necessary to prevent further occurrences.

Although only the energy sector was highlighted, all of the CR/KRs need evaluation to properly defend them. A particular model to

protect these sites from natural disasters and man-made acts is called an all-hazards model which understands that similar

safeguards can defend against either act (Taylor & Swanson, 2019). Things that can be included that would harden the target would

be installing cameras, better fencing, or building reinforcement. Another thing to consider is the online format of many

infrastructures. This allows for another point of vulnerability. Many areas utilize Security Controls and Data Acquisition (SCADA)

systems so that networks can be checked, calibrated, and repaired remotely (Upadhyay & Sampalli, 2020). While this can help to

troubleshoot any issues, it also allows hackers to breach the integrity of a system remotely. Therefore, physical barriers are not the

only security measures that need to be scrutinized. One method is the defense-in-depth strategy which calls for separating control

networks from ingress and egress traffic as well as deploying security zones with properly defined access control rules (Upadhyay &

Sampalli, 2020). Each strategy is one that comes with a hefty price tag which means that funds need to be allocated to instill those

measures. For instance, a Western Area Power Administration (WAPA) advised that there was only $300,000 to enhance security

measures at the 328 substations operated. To protect only 40 of the most integral sites required $90 million (Smith, 2016). While

this cost is undeniably substantial, the cost to recuperate from an attack or natural disaster would be even more overwhelming. “For

which of you, intending to build a tower, sitteth not down first, and counteth the cost, whether he have sufficient to finish it?” (King

James Bible, 1769/1972, Luke 14:28, p. 94). The proverbial ‘cost’ should not be construed to mean the financial necessity to protect

the assets of the nation alone. They should also weigh the expenditures needed to recuperate and rebuild from what is lost. When

done that way, the initial costs will always be minimal compared to the aftermath because there is no price tag on human injuries or

suffering.

BALANCING SECURITY AND RESILIENCE: PROTECTING CRITICAL INFRASTRUCTURE IN AN UNCERTAIN WORLD

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