The Internet: Plan Ahead With a Corporate Security Program and Crisis Management Course

The Internet: Plan Ahead With a Corporate Security Program and Crisis Management Course

By Daniel Sommer

The world has experienced epochs that radically transformed the global culture in each instance. Examples are the Bronze Age, The Industrial Revolution, the Nuclear Age and now the Cyber Revolution. In each epoch, the technological advances had profound impacts to traditional cultures, with corresponding benefits and drawbacks. The Internet and digital age is the latest technological evolution to forever change the world in fundamental ways: driving societal change, improving information-sharing and communication methods, advancing education modalities, new weapons systems, and aiding economic growth. 

There are also negative effects with the expansion of domestic and international crime and complex new security threats. These negative effects can impact both government and corporate entities with extreme detrimental consequences; in order to counter these threats, all entities that utilize the Internet must employ an effective corporate security program and offer a cyber-security crisis management course to educate their employees and make them aware of the most up-to-date Internet-based scams and threats. 

Intelligence and private proprietary activities are shrouded in secrecy to protect national security and corporate secrets. The Internet as an accessible source of information has proven to be a powerful asset for the intelligence community and corporate America. The intelligence community has created a new collection/analysis discipline called open source intelligence (OSINT). Corporate America enjoys the leverage of improved communication, new products and knowledge to enhance profits. However, a new form of espionage and warfare has emerged: Cyber Warfare. This new threat is comprehensive as every level of a nation is vulnerable from government to private industry to personal information. Criminals and enemy governments are exploiting the opportunities to steal secrets from weapons systems data to personal identities.4 The easy availability of these Internet data has two downsides. First, there may be information on the Web that could potentially harm U.S. interests in ongoing clandestine and covert operations. Second, the very real danger of penetration of U.S. digital networks and communications is a continuing threat. Corporate America, at risk along with government, needs to look at corporate security programs and crisis management courses for protection. 

There are critical economic and military resources such as the U.S. power grids, military command and control communications, intellectual property, trade and business secrets, and military and commercial satellites, to cite some vulnerable targets. The Chinese government has been accused of a variety of "hacking incidents" that have penetrated sensitive U.S. government agencies and a broad range of the private sector entities. An attack on the U.S. power grid could have devastating consequences; interfering with the integrity of military communications and control could be construed as an act of war. Cyber security has become a national priority. 

At the national level, the country has a responsibility to leverage the resources available through the Internet. In the intelligence context this means to maximize the open source information resources resident in the Worldwide Web. The OSINT techniques should be refined and evolve with the Internet media. The appropriate use of the Internet to support clandestine and covert operations is exigent for U.S. security. At the same time a comprehensive set of defensive and offensive policies must be put in place to protect Corporate America from enemies using the Internet to penetrate and attack U.S. cyber links and capabilities. One immediate U.S. response is to train a new generation of intelligence analysts who have the contemporary technical skills to effectively operate in the cyber world. Online schools provide education in how to implement a corporate security program for governments and private corporations alike, staying on the cutting edge of internet technology. There are also Internet crisis management course offerings to train companies and governments on how to respond when their database infrastructures have endured a cyber attack.

About the Author : Dan Sommer works for Henley-Putnam University, a leading educational institution in the field of Strategic Security. For more info on Henley-Putnam University, corporate security program, crisis management course, call 888-852-8746 or visit us online at www.Henley-Putnam.edu

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