brittni,

The beauty of cybersecurity is that it encompasses a vast many things. Every single one of the Critical infrastructure sectors uses a cyber component, through the use of computer systems and technology. If something uses technology that can connect to other devices, or a network, it should be protected via cybersecurity measures. This is especially true for the critical infrastructure sectors, and also any component dealing with key resources for our country. Consider what could happen if an adversary “hacked” into the network of a water treatment facility and shut it down or compromised it somehow, or even if this happened to our government entities and top secret intelligence was accessed or stolen. The potential damage could prove to be catastrophic and damaging to our national security. This is exactly the reason why cybersecurity should not necessarily fit within the sectors themselves, but should be implemented in an overarching fashion to protect each sector and key resource. Our world is ever-evolving, and the way we protect our infrastructure and resources must evolve with it, to include protecting our cyber networks from those that wish to do our country and/or its citizens harm.

The Patriot Act was passed in the wake of the September 11th attacks and its goals were to strengthen domestic security and broaden the powers of law-enforcement agencies with regards to identifying and stopping terrorists. Its renewing has been incredibly controversial. The act has been vital in the investigations and arrests of terrorists. Critics say that the act threatens civil liberties and undermines democracy. Title II of the act allows the delayed notification of search warrants, and does not require the suspect to be present during the search, or to even be notified of the search until it is over. I do think this crosses a line. Police can be corrupt too, and I believe the suspect should be allowed to be present to help ensure nothing is planted and that the search is proper and professional instead of unreasonable and unlawful. However, as a whole, I agree about the liberties granted to the government by this act. Terrorism is serious, and we must be vigilant to stop it. During my readings, a comment really stuck out to me, stating that t he Patriot Act works on the theory that in the face of terrorist threats, Americans must balance freedom with security. The balancing act only works if the measures taken to increase security actually accomplish that goal. By one very significant measure, it could be argued that the Patriot Act has worked — there has not been a successful terrorist attack on U.S. territory since the act was signed into law. This really resonated with me and I find it to be true.