Strengths and Vulnerabilities of Key Assets

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Vulnerability Analysis Test for Transport as a Component of Critical Infrastructure

Synopsis

Critical infrastructure consists of the sections of infrastructure that a country cannot adequately function without like transport, telecommunication, emergency services as well as the energy sector among others. These sections of the infrastructure are responsible for holding the economy together and fostering its growth. These infrastructures need constant servicing and upgrading in order to keep them in line with the current world at all times. With the advent in technology, the critical infrastructure sectors have integrated the technology into their normal operations. These advancement makes the operations fairly easy and viable to the people that use these facilities. It also goes a long way in ensuring the government takes care of their citizens’ well-being and security at all times.

Executive summary

Transport is a key component of critical infrastructure. Transport is the only way people get products and services that are offered at different geographical location with ease. Beyond that, transport is the most important factor in any business and ultimately the economy of the state and nation. Transport being critical must be well taken care of and regularly serviced as any damage to it could easily paralyze other sectors of the economy. One mishap with the transport sector even for a few hours could cause huge losses to the economy through businesses that depend on transport. The safety of the transport industry has however been a source of constant worry as accidents still occur as well as major security breaches like hijacking of planes and crushing of trains as well as sinking of ships at sea. All these factors have to be taken into account any time a new mode of transport control system is being proposed.

Introduction

The study on the vulnerabilities of the transport industry as part of the Critical Infrastructure of the economy is necessary for various reasons. The major reasons being, taking into account the strengths of the sector and noting the weaknesses of the sector as well. The study is therefore designed to monitor the operations of the transport sector as it is at the present time. The study incorporates the procedure used to conduct the story which includes a check list. The check list has the outline of the components that should be checked in the process of fact finding for the study. It is expected that by the end of the study, the areas that require improvement will be highlighted and recommendations made on what to do to improve the situation. The study will be conducted with the aim of improving the transport sector as a major contributor for the economy. 

Details of the study

The type of critical infrastructure being studied is transport. Transport has been in use for more than 100 centuries in various forms, some of which are still in use to date like animal carts and chariots for horses. The economic factor of the transport sector is massive. Transport make the economy possible by aiding trade and production of the items required by the individuals. Transport is a major source of revenue for any country across the globe. The level of access to transport is fairly high with many people having easy access to roads and railways which are the cheapest forms of transport. The test for vulnerabilities was extensive but unfortunately it cannot be conducted as often as one likes due to the high cost of the same (Vulnerability Assesment Template, 2015).

The Vulnerability analysis tool used in this study is Dynamic Testing of Critical Infrastructure also known as fuzzing. This method was best suited for this study because it can be customized in a way that only the relevant data is collected (Security testing of critical infrastructures , 2016). The method entails using a checklist that the study is about. By filling the checklist, the method is free from bias and therefore can be considered accurate and comprehensive. The checklist can be broad or narrow depending on what the study objectives are, in this case the scope was on transport and the whole checklist was centered on transport.

The strengths of the transport sector

The transport sector is stable and organized. The stability can be attributed to the solid structures of the transport sector. The roads are built using strong materials that can stand long and continuous use. The integration of technology into the transport system makes it easy to monitor and control movements. With technology, the transport system is better organized than before. It is easy to schedule and minimize wastage in terms of time and fuel.

The vulnerabilities of the transport sector

Accidents in the transport sector are usually fatal and extensively damaging. Plane crashes, ship wrecks and train collisions have over time caused major loss of lives and property. Ship wrecks and airplane accidents are usually very fatal and in some rare cases few survivors come out alive. Traffic congestions are major time wasters. Transport is also exposed to more security vulnerabilities with the embrace of technology in controlling the flow and operations. For instance, the traffic controls are connected using technology to monitor snarl ups and accidents as they occur in real time as well as find a record of traffic offenders without necessarily having to deploy traffic officers all over the cities and roads in the state. The alteration of the transport systems cannot be done quickly as the solid structures require skill, planning and funding in order to be put up or altered when needed. In addition to these factors, once a road or rail is damaged, it takes time to repair the damage (Zio, 2016).

Better access to statistics of the accidents and their causes across the transport sector would have enabled the study to be more conclusive. The statistics would make it easier to make recommendations based on facts rather than unfounded assumptions which is what general observation yields. The extent to which the technology being applied to in the transport sector is secured against hackers and technical errors that could lead to accidents and loss of lives as well. Information about how the expertise and experience of the individuals tasked with putting in place the technology that assists the transport industry to synchronize with the rest of the economy is determined, was not available to aid the study (Protecting Critical Infrastructure, 2002).

Challenges faced during the study.

The study on transport vulnerabilities is time and cost extensive. It takes time to study road transport and its mishaps and strengths individually then move to study air transport in the same extent and detail, and on to sea and rail transport. The actual study process is not expensive but data collection is quite a task. Previous studies are very wide and bulky in terms of information. Reading through to pick what is relevant to this study was challenging.

Despite the many challenges, the study was successful with application of maps to single out areas that are more viable to conduct the study. It happens that using a map makes it easier to identify which sections have more transport activity and thus can give more accurate information for the study. For the literature review section, the reports could be classified and that made it possible to save time in reading through.

Summary

When talking about critical infrastructure, transport is one type of a critical component. Transport is a solid system and part of the economy. It is an important factor in the existence of an economy and any vulnerabilities of the transport system are spilled over to the economy at large through other sectors that are dependent on transport.

Recommendations

The recommendations from the results of the study are;

• The technology being integrated into the transport system should be customized for the transport industry exclusively. This will reduce instances of interference from systems attending to other activities that are not related to transport. This action plan will ensure that any error is noted in time and can be fixed as quickly as it is easy to note where the problem roots from. 

References

Protecting Critical Infrastructure. (2002). Retrieved from Objective Analysis. Effective Solutions: www.rand.org/pubs/periodicals/rand-review/issues/rr-08-02/infrastructure.html

Security testing of critical infrastructures . (2016). Retrieved from Beyond Security: www.beyondsecurity.com/critical_infrastructure_security_testing.html

Vulnerability Assesment Template. (2015, October 2). Retrieved from www.qsd.ie/brc-food/vulnerability-assesment-template

Zio, E. (2016). Critical infrastructures Vulnerability and Risk Analysis. European Journal fro Security Research , 97-114.