The recent growth in technology has given hackers and other online criminals opportunities to breach the securities of various organizations, including the national security. For many years, interfering with individual data has been treated as a minor offense since the federal and state prosecutors have failed to consider it a serious crime. For that reason, people perpetuating personal data-stealing have taken advantage of such lenient laws. Russia’s involvement in the U.S. elections in 2016 is one example that illustrates how the government is putting minimal efforts into countering the crimes (WhiteHouse.gov, 2018). Equally, the Equifax personal data breach revealed how well-developed businesses are in jeopardy of their data being hacked; hence, endangering the personal information of various stakeholders such as clients (Fuchs & Trottier, 2017). Besides, individuals such as Edwin Snowden have revealed how the U.S. government is breaching the privacy regulations by spying on other individuals. Consequently, Snowden seeks asylum in Russia since he is a culprit in the U.S for leaking different information relating to how the spy use dubious means to monitor citizens and other nations in the world. Information leakage and cybersecurity required stringent measures by the U.S. government to foster the country’s national security.
Information Leakage
Information leakage affects private citizens and government institutions in the U.S. Thus, information leakage permits a particular application to disclose private data like technical details of a particular application, various comments of the developer, and user-specific data. For that reason, the hacker may use the information to exploit the application, the hosting network, or the user. Equally, information leakage describes the loss of unintended data from a certain organization (WhiteHouse.gov, 2018). Usually, this leakage happens due to various internet-related issues such as personal hacking information (WhiteHouse.gov, 2018). Hence, institutions should deploy various mechanisms to ensure they counter information leakages. Typically, information leakage is caused by issues like a failure to delete comments with sensitive data from the internet, inappropriate application or server configuration, or differences in page response for valid and invalid data.
Leakage is caused by the failure to delete HTML/script comments before pushing them to the production site. Therefore, usually, comments are left by the relevant developer with the script code or HTML that aid in debugging or integration phase during the pre-production period. Even if it is not wrong for a developer to include comments on the content they have created, it is appropriate to delete them after the content has gone public (Nolan, 2017). Software Version figures and verbose error messages like ASPNET version numbers are some examples of improper server configuration (Fuchs & Trottier, 2017). Hence, such information is significant to the hacker because it gives detailed data on a particular web application’s framework, languages, or pre-built functions.
Equally, several default server configurations expose both software version figures and verbose error messages appropriate for debugging and troubleshooting. Consequently, configuration transformation may be introduced to restrict these characteristics, thus, preventing the display of that information. Also, pages that give various response concerning the validity is the other reason for information leakage (WhiteHouse.gov, 2018). When confidential data is revealed due to a web application’s design, the situation happens. Some examples of sensitive data include driving licenses, national social security numbers, account numbers, and other user-specific information, leading to breaching a person’s privacy. Therefore, in this context, information leakage entails the exposure of certain prime information deemed private that should not be publicly exposed (WhiteHouse.gov, 2018). Credit numbers and safeguarding of other confidential data are examples of data that should be protected from any leakage since they can jeopardize a person’s privacy. Hence, this information should be protected by proper encryption and access control to prevent leakages.
Information leakages can be prevented by deploying different mechanisms like encryption of data to prevent an unauthorized party from accessing it. However, the mechanism may sometimes experience some weakness in data protection. For instance, when the information has been encrypted and decrypted, unauthorized parties may access the data easily. Likewise, information leakage can be regulated by DRM systems that offer a continuous regulation of distributed data (Fuchs & Trottier, 2017). Thus, the method is applicable in regulating unauthorized individuals from accessing certain private information, a breach of online privacy. Besides, it allows an individual to add watermarks that allow the display of the hacker’s image.
Edward Snowden
People cannot engage in an information leaking conversation without mentioning Edward Snowden. Snowden is notorious for leaking the information of sensitive departments such as the national security sector in the U.S., leading to his exile in Russia. Edward Snowden is well versed with the U.S intelligence system, for he used to work as a CIA contractor before exposing the NSA to various media outlets in the U.S; hence, leading to his relocation to Russia (Fuchs & Trottier, 2017). Snowden’s information leakage raised questions about the American spy’s online activities that may endanger the privacy of different online users in the world. For instance, he leaked how the U.S. spy collects individuals’ phone records, which is dangerous for people’s online security. The scandal broke in 2013 when the Guardian editorial leaked how the U.S. secret service tapped the telephone conversations of various individuals as a security measure to counter attacks threats (The National Whistleblower Center, 2021). Thus, the paper revealed a secret judicial order directing telecommunication organizations like Verizon to issue the Americans’ data to the National Security Agency (NSA) to boost the country’s security (WhiteHouse.gov, 2018). Various leading media companies like the Washington Post and Guardian backed his leaks, for they demonstrated how the NSA is tampering with people’s privacy in the name of surveillance (WhiteHouse.gov, 2018). Nevertheless, his actions landed him in problems because he has been charged with various offenses like theft of government property, illegal leakage of the nation’s defense information, and deliberate leakage of national intelligence information.
Besides, he was among the culprits mentioned in the scandal of the U.K. spy agency tapping fiber-optic cables data. The scandal, also known as the GCHQ scandal, came to light in 2018 and it revealed how the U.K. spy agency tapped fiber cables with global communication and shared the details with the U.S. spy team. Snowden disclosed how the illegal procedure had been happening for 18 months without the people’s notice. The GCHQ boosted its data collection mechanism to revamp its data tapping from the cable to direct it to the U.S. intelligence system (The National Whistleblower Center, 2021). For that reason, they used the 200 fiber optic cables to monitor over 600 million per day. Moreover, they kept phone information and the internet for around one month to monitor people’s data. Also, Snowden revealed the GCHQ and NSA tapping of the Italian phone calls and the internet traffics as mechanisms to safeguard the world from criminal activities. Nonetheless, his actions violated the online security provisions since it breaches the privacy regulations. According to Snowden’s leakages, the move targeted the underground cables with terminal, which the Italian prime minister termed unacceptable.
Snowden also disclosed the U.S. hacking on China networks scandal. He revealed in Hong Kong that the NSA had initiated more than 61,000 hacking missions in different parts of the world, including in Hong Kong and mainland China. He disclosed how the major targets were Chinese businesses and universities (The National Whistleblower Center, 2021). Therefore, he elaborated on how the U.S. government hacked the network to give them entry to the communication of many computers and other gadgets such as smartphones without hacking personal computers. The move was perceived unethical since the American accessed people’s private information without their consent. Also, Snowden exposed how the U.S. spy monitored the E.U. offices in Europe and the U.S. The leakage exposed the U.S. spying the E.U. internal computers network in Washington and the U.N. offices’ servers (Kolasky, 2021). The data revealed how the E.U. representation in the U.N. was the primary target of the malicious online activity. Furthermore, he unveiled how NSA made a spying operation in a building in Brussels where the major E.U offices are based (Bushnell et al., 2019). Thus, he divulged that the major target of such online activities is to monitor the military and trade operations in the E.U. Equally, the U.S. wanted to spy on its relationship with members of the E.U. community (WhiteHouse.gov, 2018). Thus, such disclosures reveal how the U.S. is among the countries with the leading online privacy violators.
Information Leakage and the Risks to National Security
Data leakages, also known as the slow theft of data, have severe consequences on individuals’ security in society. Similarly, the theft of a person’s data is not treated with the seriousness it deserves in society, even if it is a threat. For instance, the Russian breach of U.S. data is a threat to the country’s security because it exposes people’s confidential data. Also, in 2015, the Chinese government was accused of stealing more than 22 million people’s security clearance dossiers, which threatened the nation’s security (Chertoff, 2017). For that reason, many people blamed the Office of Personnel Management for such massive online drawbacks.
Additionally, the Russian interference in the 2016 elections was a great threat to the nation’s campaigns since it used personal private data to conduct the breach. Equally, information leakage is dangerous for the nation’s security since individuals can use images to defraud financial and other institutions in the economy. For example, Russian operatives employed the opportunity to steal the American identities to open bank and PayPal accounts to access the U.S.-based servers. Equally, they used the VPNs to pose as American citizens to access critical servers (Fuchs & Trottier, 2017). Furthermore, the stolen personal information can be used as a weapon against the state.
Bible Verse
The Bible states, “Now it came to pass, when Sanballat, and Tobiah, and Geshem the Arabian, and the rest of our enemies, heard that I had built the wall, and [that] there was no breach left therein; (though at that time I had not set up the doors upon the gate.” (Nehemiah 6: 1). This Bible verse is important in explaining how instituting proper mechanisms can aid in limiting online data breaching incidents, which is a threat to the country’s security. The enemy can use the stolen data to influence sabotage in the country. The Russian interference with the American elections is an example of how information leakage can cause harm.
Conclusion
Information leakage and cybersecurity are major issues that the U.S. government should address to enhance the country’s national security. Information leakage is detrimental to the country’s security, for it exposes both the nation and people’s information. For that reason, the U.S. government should institute appropriate online security systems to counter the data breaches since the stolen data can be used to cause harm to the economy.
References
Chertoff, M. (2017). Why Cybersecurity Is National Security. The Aspen Institute. Retrieved May 1, 2022, from https://www.aspeninstitute.org/blog-posts/looming-national-security-threats/
Fuchs, C., & Trottier, D. (2017). Internet surveillance after Snowden. Journal of Information, Communication and Ethics in Society, 15(4), 412–444. https://doi.org/10.1108/jices-01-2016-0004
Kolasky, B. (2021, January 14). A Risk-based Approach to National Cybersecurity | CISA. CISA. Retrieved May 1, 2022, from https://www.cisa.gov/blog/2021/01/14/risk-based-approach-national-cybersecurity
Nolan, C. (2017). The Edward Snowden Case and the Morality of Secrecy. Catholic Social Science Review, 22, 291–310. https://doi.org/10.5840/cssr20172223
The Bible: Authorized King James Version; Nehemiah 6: 1
The National Whistleblower Center. (2021, February 23). Edward Snowden. National Whistleblower Center. Retrieved May 1, 2022, from https://www.whistleblowers.org/whistleblowers/edward-snowden/
WhiteHouse.gov. (2018, September 20). President Trump Unveils America’s First Cybersecurity Strategy in 15 Years –. The White House. Retrieved May 1, 2022, from https://trumpwhitehouse.archives.gov/articles/president-trump-unveils-americas-first-cybersecurity-strategy-15-years/?msclkid=f4a83ab7c96c11ec89b463119f3b48cd
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