Forensics Journal - Stevenson University 2015 | Page 25

FORENSICS JOURNAL

legacy architecture that has only recently become interconnected.
Power plants, water supply stations, transportation systems, and
other systems use industrial control systems i.e. supervisory control
and data acquisition (SCADA) networks and “with the advent of
internet-based systems…SCADA networks have gradually become…
integrated into larger global networks” (“Cyber Threats,” n.d.). For
these types of companies, a major and costly transition to wireless
remote monitoring systems has only recently occurred. (These systems
provide ease-of-use for owners and operators.) Smart grid technology
is so expensive that large companies like Baltimore Gas and Electric
(BGE), the “nation’s oldest and most experienced utility company”
had to apply for hundreds of millions of dollars in grants to subsidize
the costs of such an initiative (a major investment in cloud-based
architecture, and the potential for greater cyber vulnerabilities)
(Butts, 2010, p. 1).

see the implementation of the cybersecurity measures necessary
to prevent such an attack in the first place. In the words of former
Director of National Intelligence, Mike McConnell, “the United
States is fighting a cyber-war today, and we are losing” (McConnell,
2010). Cybersecurity cannot keep up with the cyber threat without a
proactive approach and commitment of resources.
REFERENCES
Adler, J. (2014, February 24). Why Obama’s ‘Voluntary’
Cybersecurity Plan May Prove Mandatory. Insurance Networking
News.
Botnet DDoS Attacks. (2014). Retrieved February 17, 2014,
from http://www.incapsula.com
Bots and Botnets—A Growing Threat. (2014). Retrieved February
17, 2014, from http://www.norton.com

Michael Assante, cybersecurity strategist and former chief security
officer, National Electric Reliability Corporation, American Electric
Power, states, “because the [NIST cybersecurity framework] program
offers no financial incentives to help companies reduce the costs of
implementing the guidelines, companies may opt not to participate”
(“SANS NewsBites,” 2014). Consider the ShapeShifter which may
cost its customers over a million dollars each year it is utilized after
the testing phase is complete (Greenberg, 2014). For large companies
such as BGE, implementing the best cybersecurity technology is
available may be viable and in line with its priorities, but for smaller
busines ͕̰