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to the U.S cyber command. This force will set out to concentrate on three key areas:
“defending DOD information networks, supporting combatant commands and defending the
nation” (Harress). The U.S has concentrated so much on this topic that they do not realize
cyberterrorism could potentially be our second biggest cyber threat.

According to defense, military, and National security leaders, “cyberwarfare is the greatest
threat facing the United States – outstripping even terrorism” leading officials to warn an
imminent cyber Pearl Harbor (Pizzi). Cyberwarfare is just as it sounds: a digital analogue to
a physical concept. Cyberwarfare refers different countries engaging terror attacks that affect
computer systems. The largest known cyberwarfare attack was the Stuxnet worm that
infected Iran’s Natanz nuclear enrichment facility in 2010 which concerned U.S officials
because it actually improved Iran’s nuclear objects. These types of attacks are the types that
would distract us from real danger.

We have so many security holes that, even if the virus pushed is benign, we should be
concerned with the danger that follows: “The North American Electric Reliability Corporation
reported in 2009 that the U.S. grid remains susceptible to infiltration despite substantial
government investment in securing it” (Pizzi). Even though this could present chaos and
imminent danger to the country, officials say they are not surprised that there are threats of
cyberwarfare and they are not concerned that an attack would be launched against the U.S
because there is “some level of cyber deterrence that exists between states” (Pizzi).

Even though there may be no cyber threat to the United States’ grid right now, there is
always the opportunity for it to strike in the future. Every American should be on the edge of
their seats for what happens next. What does happen next? If cybercriminal activity is
reported, safety on the web would greatly increase.

Cybercriminals usually have the mindset that they are invincible and there is no way that
they can be caught no matter how heavy an investigation is. The truth is since cybercrime
has become more and more prevalent, federal officials are cracking down on offenders. The
FBI has a cyber investigations department that helped create the Internet Crime Complaint
Center (IC3). According to Carnegie’s Cyber Academy, the IC3 “provides the public with an
easy-to-use reporting system that alerts the authorities of suspected criminal violations.”
Local police departments are training cyber units so people can have someone to report
cybercrime to. Once reported, police will then decide how to proceed with cybercriminals.

Carnegie’s Cyber Academy gave three examples of cybercrime and how police officials
usually proceed with punishment: if caught, hacking constitutes up to 20 years in jail and a
large fine, spamming contains a minimum punishment of an $11,000 fine, and identity theft
could put someone in jail for up to five years. If you are a cybercriminal who has not gotten
caught yet, your time will come. If you are someone who has been affected by
cybercriminals, take note of these punishments. Not only can these people lose money, but
they will be forced to live the rest of their lives as a felon and never be looked at the same
again.

As cybercrime becomes less effective not only in the United States but in the world, we as a
society will be a much happier people. Will there always be a threat for cybercrime?
Absolutely, but the points presented in this article will present more awareness for future
events. Surfing the web will not be as dangerous, we will not question who our Facebook

24 Cyber Warnings E-Magazine – April 2014 Edition
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