Emerging Application of Technology in a Critical Infrastructure

Technology Review : Emerging Application of Technology in a Critical Infrastructure

Objective

The purpose of this technology review is to identify, discuss, and evaluate the cybersecurity implications of an emerging application of technology in the context of a critical infrastructure sector. Your selected technology may be hardware, software, or systems that rely upon both hardware and software. Your research will also include an examination of the cybersecurity implications of using this technology in critical infrastructures. This type of research is also referred to as a survey of the literature. Allowable sources for your literature survey are journal articles, papers published in conference proceedings, and research studies published in dissertations.

Overview

Your audience is a group of senior executives who will be meeting to decide which emerging applications of technologies should be selected for a security-focused, Internal Research & Development projects during the next budget cycle. Each of these executives is responsible for developing products and systems that support next generation systems in the nation’s critical infrastructure sectors.

The high-level visibility for your deliverable means that you need to start from a strong foundation of suitable research-based journal articles, papers published in conference proceedings, and doctoral dissertations. The basic question that must be answered about the selected technology is: what are the cybersecurity implications (good or bad) for the selected critical infrastructure sector?

In addition, the executives have expressed the following information needs, which must be met by the deliverable for this assignment:

(a)   
characteristics of the critical infrastructure,

(b)   
characteristics of the technology, 

(c)    
use of the technology to support or improve cybersecurity,

(d)   
use of the technology to reduce or manage risk,

(e)   
use of the technology to increase resistance to threats/attacks,

(f)     
use of the technology to decrease vulnerabilities in an existing technology application,

(g)   
use or exploitation of the technology by attackers, criminals, terrorists, etc. to accomplish their goals.

Instructions

Format your deliverable as a “descriptive or informative” annotated bibliography. The UMUC library provides information about how to complete this type of assignment. See http://sites.umuc.edu/library/libhow/bibliography_apa.cfm (sub-heading “To get started”). APA style is recommended but, you may use another professional format for your annotated bibliography.

In addition to the list of sources and annotations, you must provide an introductory paragraph.

See the rubric for additional requirements for this assignment. (Attached under files Section “Grading Rubric- Technology Review #2”)

Note: If you have problems accessing any of the library databases, contact the UMUC librarians via the contact methods listed on the library’s home page https://sites.umuc.edu/library/index.cfm . They will be able to assist you with login issues and/or search engine questions (but will not do your research for you).

Choose a Critical Infrastructure Sector

“There are 16 critical infrastructure sectors whose assets, systems, and networks, whether physical or virtual, are considered so vital to the United States that their incapacitation or destruction would have a debilitating effect on security, national economic security, national public health or safety, or any combination thereof” (Department of Homeland Security, 2016, p.1).

Choose a critical infrastructure sector to focus your technology review. For definitions of critical infrastructures, see https://www.dhs.gov/critical-infrastructure-sectors. You may wish to choose your emerging application of technology first and then select an appropriate critical infrastructure in which your selected technology can be applied or deployed. 

Choose an Emerging Application of Technology

Choose an emerging application of technology that can be used in the computers, digital devices, and other electronic / electrical technologies (including networks and network infrastructures) that are deployed in or used to build, operate, support, or maintain a critical infrastructure sector (e.g. utilities, pipelines, transportation, smart cities, etc.).

Suggested technologies include:

·        
Autonomous Vehicles (ground, sea, or air): Transportation Systems Sector

·        
Deep Space Communication Networks: Communications Sector

·        
Implantable Medical Devices: Healthcare and Public Health Sector

·        
Precision Agriculture (integrated systems using satellite imagery, GPS, Sensors, Robots): Food & Agriculture Sector

·        
Robot inspectors for physical infrastructures (buildings, roads, railways, pipelines, etc.): Multiple Sectors

·        
Smart Grid (also called Advanced Metering Infrastructure): Energy Sector

·        
Wearable Sensors for Hazardous Materials Detection (e.g. CBRNE): Emergency Services Sector

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