Application of Cyber Security in Emerging C4ISR Systems

C4ISR stands for Command, Control, Communications, Computers, Intelligence, Surveillance & Reconnaissance. C4ISR systems are primarily used by organizations in the defense sector. However, they are also increasingly being used by civil sector organizations such as railways, airports, oil, and gas exploration departments. The C4ISR system is a system of systems and it can also be termed as network of networks and works on similar principles as the Internet. Hence it is vulnerable to similar attacks called cyber attacks and warrants appropriate security measures to save it from these attacks or to recover if the attack succeeds. All of the measures put in place to achieve this are called cyber security of C4ISR systems. This chapter gives an overview of C4ISR systems focusing on the perspective of cyber security warranting information assurance.

Security Risks/Vulnerability in a RFID System and Possible Defenses

Remote technologies are changing our way of life. The radio frequency identification (RFID) system is a new technology which uses the open air to transmit information. This information transmission needs to be protected to provide user safety and privacy. Business will look for a system that has fraud resilience to prevent the misuse of information to take dishonest advantage. The business and the user need to be assured that the transmitted information has no content which is capable of undertaking malicious activities. Public awareness of RFID security will help users and organizations to understand the need for security protection. Publishing a security guideline from the regulating body and monitoring implementation of that guideline in RFID systems will ensure that businesses and users are protected. This chapter explains the importance of security in a RFID system and will outline the protective measures. It also points out the research direction of RFID systems.

Safety and Security in SCADA Systems Must be Improved through Resilience Based Risk Management

This chapter describes vulnerabilities related to safety and security in distributed process control systems integrated with information and communication technology (ICT). The author describe key vulnerabilities and how to mitigate these vulnerabilities by current best practices, which have worked in an industrial setting in Norway. Distributed process control systems are denoted as SCADA systems, i.e. supervisory control and data acquisition systems. Increased networking and increased use of ICT impacts the complexity and vulnerability of the SCADA systems. To improve safety and security, there must be a focus on systematic knowledge generation between ICT and process experts and a focus on exploring resilience as a strategy to manage risks and support continuity of operations (resilience seen as the ability to bounce back and sustain operations). Best practices in risk management in this area are to establish policies, improve risk awareness, perform risk assessment in collaboration between ICT and SCADA professionals, focus on segregation of networks, focus on active protection against malicious software, improve reporting and sharing of incidents, and establish and explore disaster/recovery plans. In addition, there should be focus on certification and testing of components in ICT and SCADA systems and improvement of resilience to mitigate uncertainty and complexity.

City Networks in Cyberspace and Time

Geographers and social scientists have long been interested in ranking and classifying the cities of the world. The cutting edge of this research is characterized by a recognition of the crucial importance of information and, specifically, ICTs to cities’ positions in the current Knowledge Economy. This chapter builds on recent “cyberspace” analyses of the global urban system by arguing for, and demonstrating empirically, the value of Web search engine data as a means of understanding cities as situated within, and constituted by, flows of digital information. To this end, the authors show how the Google search engine can be used to specify a dynamic, informational classification of North American cities based on both the production and the consumption of Web information about two prominent current issues global in scope: the global financial crisis, and global climate change.

General Outlook on Financial Structure and Capital Adequacy of ISE-30 Companies during Economic Crisis (2008-2009)

In the simplest terms, economic crises could be recognised as abnormal fluctuations adversely impacting market conditions. Despite subsequent economic recoveries, markets and the financial system remain in a period of significant uncertainty after such crises. The baseline scenario is for balance sheets to strengthen gradually as the economy recovers and as progress is made in addressing structural problems in financial positions. However, substantial downside risks always remain for companies. Even companies with a high “Capital Adequacy Ratio” (CAR) face the difficult challenge of managing a smooth transition to self-sustaining growth while stabilising debt burdens under low and uncertain economic prospects. Without further bolstering of balances sheets, markets remain susceptible to funding shocks that could intensify deleveraging pressures and place further drag on public finances and recovery. Companies have proven resilient to economic turbulence but are vulnerable to a slowdown and face risks in managing sizable and potentially volatile capital inflows. Policy actions need to be intensified to contain risks, address debt burdens, and implement effective and institutional frameworks to ensure financial stability. Based on this perspective and through applying the financial soundness indicators methodology, the financial structures and soundness indicators of the top 30 companies on the Istanbul Stock Exchange (ISE-30) are subjected to an assessment for determining the impact of the global crisis. The short- and long-run credits and non-monetary debit lines of ISE-30 companies are investigated together with the momentum of growth in assets, liabilities, and cash-flow stabilities. The financial soundness of ISE-30 companies is discussed in terms of the “capital-liabilities ratios” performance measure. Finally, the study focuses on long-run economic impacts and the analysis assumes that companies should transition to new levels of capital and liquidity to strengthen their financial stability and sustainability.

Malware Protection on RFID-Enabled Supply Chain Management Systems in the EPCglobal Network

As RFID-enabled technology is becoming pervasive in enterprise systems and human life, it triggers significant concerns over the malware that can infect, damage, and even destroy RFID-enabled network systems. RFID malware can spread malicious codes or data quickly to a large number of RFID systems via RFID read and write, which are pervasive operations on RFID tags that are transported from one RFID system to another. To address this concern, this chapter uses RFID-enabled supply chain management systems in the EPCglobal network as a case study to demonstrate the important issues in RFID malware protection. This case study shows that although there are fundamental difficulties in preventing RFID malware from entering the systems, the behaviors of RFID malware resemble traditional malware after it enters the systems. Based on this characteristic, the security threats of RFID malware can be effectively controlled.

A Fuzzy Approach to Disaster Modeling

The decision making process of the Emergency Medical Rescue Services (EMRS) operations centre during disasters involves a significant amount of uncertainty. Decisions need to be made quickly, and no mistakes are tolerable, particularly in the case of disasters resulting in a large number of injured people. A multiphase linguistic fuzzy model is introduced to assist the operator during the initial phase of the medical disaster response. Based on uncertain input data, estimating the severity of the disaster, the number of injured people, and the amount of forces and resources needed to successfully deal with the situation is possible. The need for reinforcements is also considered. Fuzzy numbers, linguistic variables and fuzzy rule bases are applied to deal with the uncertainty. Outputs provided by the model (severity of the disaster, number of reinforcements needed etc.) are available both as fuzzy sets (for the purposes of disaster planning) and linguistic terms (for emergency call evaluation purposes).

The Blogosphere in the “Land of Smiles”

Since the turn of the century, Thailand, dubbed as the “Land of Smiles,” has been racked by internal political instability, turmoil, and violence. This study assesses how an ongoing political crisis in Thailand is deconstructed via blogs. A qualitative content analysis of 45 blogs (838 posts) about Thailand indicates that during a peak period of massive anti-government protests in the spring of 2010, blog posts about the crisis tended to fall under three categories: (a) creating a partisan view of the political conflict, which largely mirrored the dominant discourses already present in mainstream media; (b) presenting a dispassionate account that often provided a synthesis of different viewpoints; or (c) offering improvised accounts of what expatriate-tourist bloggers perceived to be important yet having little context to explain. It is argued that although blogging potentially offers new spaces for representing political perspectives in and about Thailand, these perspectives do not always enhance the public’s understanding of the political processes and in some cases fan the flames of inflammatory rhetoric.

Emergency Management Professional Development

Although there is current research describing technology efforts utilized in the 21st century as it relates to emergency management, there are adult educational factors to examine regarding Information Communication Technology (ICT) and the Social Communication Skills (SCS) of emergency personnel. Technology is quickly evolving and the the population is becoming increasingly more diverse, driving the efforts of emergency personnel to harness more technological emergency advances and navigate the culture of each community to assure effective emergency measures are taken. Within the ICT and SCS framework, emergency management must concern itself with: (a) the basic tenets of emergency management; (b) the changing and new nature of global threats in the 21st century; (c) evolving emergency management technologies; (d) social considerations when interfacing with the communities served; and (e) recommendations for those who are involved in emergency management mitigation, preparation, response, and recovery emergency efforts. All of these factors revolve around the education and re-education of adults; therefore, the focus of this chapter explores subsequent educational implications for the emergency personnel workforce as well as positive results for affected communities. This chapter proposes a larger implication, one of emergency personnel professional development within technology-based response systems as well as the cultivation of social communication in an effort to build a Sense of Community (SOC) with the diverse citizenry they serve. Emergency first responders, as well as other emergency personnel, must be educated in technology and social skills to better serve the community and to become a part of a holistic community. It is in this way that safety, and ultimately social justice, efforts for specific groups who may be marginalized and disenfranchised during an emergency are enhanced.

Challenges of Civil Military Cooperation/Coordination in Humanitarian Relief

The term civil military coordination (CIMIC) suggests the seamless division of labor between aid workers and international military forces. The images of humanitarian organizations distributing food and medicines under the protection of military forces, or aid workers and military working together to construct refugee camps, set up field hospitals, provide emergency water and sanitation, et cetera, has become more frequent. The media coverage from crises such as New Orleans, Kosovo, the tsunami in Asia, Pakistan, Liberia, Sierra Leone, Chad, and more recently Haiti and Japan, has heightened the expectation of a smooth interaction between humanitarian organizations and military forces. Due to fundamental differences between international military forces, humanitarian and development organizations (in terms of the principles and doctrines guiding their work, their agendas, operating styles, and roles), the area of civil military coordination in disaster relief has proven to be more difficult than other interagency relationships. This chapter will identify the many factors that render integration and collaboration problematic between diverse organizations, and especially so between civilian and military agencies. The chapter will conclude with proposals to improve CIMIC within disaster relief.