Information Brief: Physical Attacks, Cyber Events & Natural Disasters

Assignment 1-310- Security Threats
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Assignment 1-310- Security Threats
Networks, systems, assets, and facilities comprise society’s most critical infrastructures to enhance national security, public health, and economic vitality. Besides, power and communications systems are equally essential infrastructures that society depends on for their survival. The private sector owns and operates the physical and cyber infrastructures of the United States despite its ownership of federal, state, and local governments. Therefore, relevant stakeholders should identify the infrastructures susceptible to attacks to maintain continued service provision (Board, 2019). The government can enhance a country’s security and minimize risks by prioritizing and allocating the available resources. Reliable operations of energy, water, communication, and transportation are critical for effective operations in a country. Therefore, disruption or loss of any vital functions can affect the resilience and security of critical infrastructures.
Nuclear energy, the energy sector, and dams are critical infrastructures susceptible to physical attacks, cyber-attacks, and natural disasters. Notably, natural or artificial risks have the likelihood to hinder or damage critical infrastructures. Therefore, governments should identify all threats ad hazards that pose threats to essential infrastructures rather than focusing only on one risk. The strategy would facilitate effective planning and allocation of resources. Currently, the interconnection of the energy sector, nuclear reactors, and dams means that the destruction can cause cascading impacts on others. Therefore, understanding the interdependency on infrastructure elements is critical to determine the strategies for enhancing security and resilience.
Description of Physical Threat
The nuclear energy sector can be vulnerable to physical threats that pose significant threats to critical infrastructures. Since physical threats are the primary cause of communication challenges to responders, their capability to communicate is vital, especially during emergencies. Therefore, any physical attack on agencies that house and maintain nuclear energy equipment could disable the systems (Board, 2019). Although government agencies are unprepared for physical threats to the nuclear energy sector, they can follow best practices to withstand such attacks. For instance, they can utilize intrusion detection systems to assess and identify suspicious activities, including unusual traffic patterns.
The increase of nuclear energy has increased physical attacks on the existing systems. One of the significant concerns in nuclear safety is the susceptibility of atomic plants to different forms of deliberate attacks. Notably, naval fuel facilities, fuel fabrication plants, and uranium mines are susceptible to attacks that can cause increased radioactive contamination. In some instances, terrorist groups cause damage to safety systems resulting in a meltdown of nuclear power plants. Such attacks further result in radioactive contamination. In the current era of the proliferation of new forms of technology, the sophistication of cyber-attacks has increased.
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