Assignment:
Case
Critical Infrastructure Vulnerability and Protection: An Introduction
Case Assignment
For this Case Assignment, you are to answer the following:
Explain interconnectivity of infrastructures (e.g., airlines and the power grid) with specific examples. Do interconnectivities increase the vulnerability of major infrastructures?
Should a CIP management model be centralized, decentralized, or a combination? Propose a relevant management practice model that supports your position.
Comment on critical infrastructures in your town, state, or area of deployment. Number, Type(s)? How protected?
Assignment Expectations
Length: This Case Assignment should be at least 3 pages not counting the title page and references.
References: At least two references should be included from academic sources (e.g. peer-reviewed journal articles). Required readings are included. Quoted material should not exceed 10% of the total paper (since the focus of these assignments is critical thinking). Use your own words and build on the ideas of others. When material is copied verbatim from external sources, it MUST be enclosed in quotes. The references should be cited within the text and also listed at the end of the assignment in the References section (preferably in APA format).
Organization: Subheadings should be used to organize your paper according to question.
Grammar and Spelling: While no points are deducted for minor errors, assignments are expected to adhere to standards guidelines of grammar, spelling, punctuation, and sentence syntax. Points may be deducted if grammar and spelling impact clarity.
The following items will be assessed in particular:
• Relevance: All content is connected to the question.
• Precision: Specific question is addressed. Statements, facts, and statistics are specific and accurate.
• Depth of discussion: Student presents and integrates points that lead to deeper issues.
• Breadth: Multiple perspectives and references, multiple issues and factors considered.
• Evidence: Points are well-supported with facts, statistics and references.
• Logic: Presented discussion makes sense, conclusions are logically supported by premises, statements, or factual information.
• Clarity: Writing is concise, understandable, and contains sufficient detail or examples.
• Objectivity: Student avoids use of first person and subjective bias.
SLP
Critical Infrastructure Vulnerability and Protection: An Introduction
The purpose of this session long project (Modules 1-4) is to provide you with the opportunity to prepare a paper or report on CIP that is of particular interest to you community, state, or the United States in general. The following information is essential in ensuring your success with this course component.
The project is to include at least the following information:
• Rationale for choosing your topic.
• Review of the literature.
• Implications for you community, state, or the United States in general.
Session Long Project
For this first module you are to examine the literature (given to you in background information or search the internet) and consider on what topic you will focus for your CIP project. Prepare a two (2) page proposal depicting how you will approach and on what you will be focusing in this project.
To begin your SLP, in this first module, you are to proceed accordingly:
1. Begin browsing through the literature that relate to your topic of interest. The topic should be important to you or at least to the United States in general
2. Finally, develop a preliminary draft introduction to your review in one or two pages including a reasonably articulated topic to the literature and a sound rationale or problem statement on why you have selected this topic in CIP.
While your introduction is not "set in stone" and you may be fine-tuning this along the way, this introduction is to be written in a scholarly manner-illustrating careful thought and insight toward the focus of your project.
SLP Assignment Expectations
To ensure your success and meaningful learning with this course component, please be sure to read the following information carefully. Each of the options above is from professional sources from, for example, scholarly journals, reports, and empirical studies.
1. Approximate number of scholarly sources from which to draw, cite, and reference is 10.
2. Approximate number of pages: 15 including title page and reference list
3. Writing format and style: APA formatting is encouraged. The following are just one of the APA formatting resources:
Organizing your Time
The following is a general overview of how you will be submitting your SLP work. This information is provided for you on each module's SLP page in detail.
Module 1: Preliminary Introduction to your Review (SLP 1)
For this first module you are to examine the literature (given to you in background information or search the internet) and consider on what topic you will focus for your CIP project. Prepare a two pages proposal depicting how you will approach and on what you will be focusing in this project
Module 2: Tentative Reference List of 10 or more scholarly sources including reports, studies, and-or manuals.
Submit a tentative reference list of 10 or more sources that you will be citing, reviewing, and referencing in your final paper. Briefly describe the contents of each article in a few sentences (APA formatting recommended).
Choose 5 from the 10 references and explain in some detail its contents and relevancy to your whole report.
Draft Paper Submission.
Submit your draft copy of your report for a critique prior to final submission.
Module 3: Completed session long project
Hand in your project containing a brief introduction, body with the guiding concepts, and conclusion (15 pages-Including title page and reference list).
Reading Expectation:
Though you may find some of your readings technical, you are not responsible for detailed knowledge, formulas, or other scientifically oriented material. The expectation is that you have a general working knowledge of the material.
Required Reading
A generic national framework for critical information infrastructure protection (CIIP) (2007).Manual Suter Center for Security Studies, ETH, Zurich.
Digital Attack Map: Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) Website:
Obama, B. (2013). Presidential Policy Directive: Critical infrastructure security and resilience, White House.
Resiliency rules: 7 Steps for critical infrastructure protection (2007). Slideserve.
Student manual (2013), The National Infrastructure Protection Plan: An Introduction. FEMA. Retrieved from:
The National Cybersecurity and Communications Integration Center
Recommended Reading
Parks, R. (2007). Guide to critical infrastructure protection, Cyber Vulnerability Protection.
The future of the electric grid (2011). MIT Energy Initiative.
Recommended Sites
Journal of National Security Law and Policy.
United States Cyber Command - Cybersecurity