PROTECTING THE NATION’S CYBER SYSTEMS 9 WHAT ARE THE METHODS THAT CAN BE EMPLOYED TO REDUCE THE THREAT TO THE NATION’S CYBER SYSTEMS A Master Thesis Submitted to the Faculty Of American Public University By Daniella Rowell In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the degree Of Master of Arts February 2016 American Public University Charles Town, WV Introduction and purpose statement Technology is an intrinsic tool of change in the world today. It has had a very huge impact on how things are done given that it seeks to enhance life in way or another. A new global threat known as cybercrime was introduced in the wake of technological advancements. Cybercrime is basically defined as any unlawful act whereby the perpetrator uses a computer or network in its perpetration or the computer or network is a target. The 21st Century has seen immense changes in how criminals are committing crime as they rely more on computers than ever (Brenner, 2010). Whereas some commit cyber-crimes due to the thrill involved, others are motivated by economic goals such as deriving profits. Consequently, cybercrime is a core issue that needs to be tackled as it has a wide array of motivations, targets and it commission is ever changing. Comment by Chris: No comma between the author and year in Turabian formatting. The comma goes between the year and page number. Comment by Chris: Is this your purpose statement? You need to clearly state your purpose statement. “The purpose of this thesis is to…….” This study seeks to address underlying issues within our society that in one way or another contributes to cyber-crime. These factors range from government policies, societal and personal factors such as a jealous spouse hacking his or her partners account, ideological motivated cybercrime and structural cause whereby more information is stored online hence increase cyber criminals reward. The U.S government for examples lacks an official definition of cybercrime. As a result, this term is used interchangeably to refer to other internet and/or technology related malicious acts. Federal law enforcement agencies on the other hand give cybercrime a legal definition based on their jurisdiction and crimes they are charged with investigating (Kirwan, 2013). Furthermore, there is no national strategy solely focused on fighting cybercrime. Instead, it’s integrated in strategies aimed at fighting other crimes such as Transnational Organized crime among others. Consequently, there is need to communicate a vivid definition of cybercrime to persons vested with authority of carrying out prevention strategies. Cyber criminals form networks which increases difficulty of elimination. Cyber criminals have made a lot of effort in trying to increase the profitability of their activities. Both small and large businesses are at risk of being victims of cybercrime. One estimate has placed cybercrime as a very costly affair for victims in a research done in twenty four countr.

1. PROTECTING THE NATION’S CYBER SYSTEMS 9
WHAT ARE THE METHODS THAT CAN BE EMPLOYED TO
REDUCE THE THREAT TO THE NATION’S CYBER
SYSTEMS
A Master Thesis
Submitted to the Faculty
Of
American Public University
By
Daniella Rowell
In Partial Fulfillment of the
Requirements for the degree
Of
Master of Arts
February 2016
American Public University
Charles Town, WV
Introduction and purpose statement
Technology is an intrinsic tool of change in the world today. It
has had a very huge impact on how things are done given that it
seeks to enhance life in way or another. A new global threat
known as cybercrime was introduced in the wake of
technological advancements. Cybercrime is basically defined as
any unlawful act whereby the perpetrator uses a computer or
network in its perpetration or the computer or network is a

2. target. The 21st Century has seen immense changes in how
criminals are committing crime as they rely more on computers
than ever (Brenner, 2010). Whereas some commit cyber-crimes
due to the thrill involved, others are motivated by economic
goals such as deriving profits. Consequently, cybercrime is a
core issue that needs to be tackled as it has a wide array of
motivations, targets and it commission is ever changing.
Comment by Chris: No comma between the author and year
in Turabian formatting. The comma goes between the year and
page number. Comment by Chris: Is this your purpose
statement? You need to clearly state your purpose statement.
“The purpose of this thesis is to…….”
This study seeks to address underlying issues within our society
that in one way or another contributes to cyber-crime. These
factors range from government policies, societal and personal
factors such as a jealous spouse hacking his or her partners
account, ideological motivated cybercrime and structural cause
whereby more information is stored online hence increase cyber
criminals reward. The U.S government for examples lacks an
official definition of cybercrime. As a result, this term is used
interchangeably to refer to other internet and/or technology
related malicious acts. Federal law enforcement agencies on the
other hand give cybercrime a legal definition based on their
jurisdiction and crimes they are charged with investigating
(Kirwan, 2013). Furthermore, there is no national strategy
solely focused on fighting cybercrime. Instead, it’s integrated in
strategies aimed at fighting other crimes such as Transnational
Organized crime among others. Consequently, there is need to
communicate a vivid definition of cybercrime to persons vested
with authority of carrying out prevention strategies. Cyber
criminals form networks which increases difficulty of
elimination.
Cyber criminals have made a lot of effort in trying to increase
the profitability of their activities. Both small and large
businesses are at risk of being victims of cybercrime. One

3. estimate has placed cybercrime as a very costly affair for
victims in a research done in twenty four countries whereby the
total cost was $113 billion (Kirwan, 2012). Since it is relatively
difficult to identify perpetrators of cyber-crimes, there is a high
likelihood of repeated victimization. Victims may feel
powerless and unable to defend themselves which in return
makes them feel as if they are under siege. Others may feel
embarrassment resulting from self-blame or the feeling that they
would have done better to protect themselves.
Research Question
Cyber-security refers to the efforts which are geared towards
the protection of information and computer systems from
unauthorized access as well as theft. Security is a broad aspect,
and it encompasses the protection of hardware from physical
damage and software from being compromised. This paper
proposes the following research question:What are the methods
that can be employed to reduce the threat to the nation’s cyber
systems? Comment by Chris: Good
Given that as technology continues to develop, cybercrime will
continue to thrive because of developments in modes and
methods of attack, it is important for nations and organizations
to come up with a mixed system approaches. These approaches
ought to be focused on addressing this issue in an effective
manner. Apart from generating fear in the target, cybercrime
activities are usually aimed at paralyzing essential
infrastructures, causing both physical and monetary damages
and stealing vital information; for instance, security codes or
government secrets (Ahmad & Yunos, 2012; Taliham, 2010).
Theoretical Framework and review of pertinent Literature
Most renowned classical sociologists have made an effort to
contribute towards the notion of social order and the effects of
science, technology and crime in the society. Durkheim for
example stressed on the scientific approach that crime is
inevitable in a modern organic society. On the other hand,
Marxism relates criminality to capitalism in that a capitalist
society seeks to protect the haves and diminish the have-nots

4. into further poverty. Weber, views society as a rational one.
This view holds that events in the society including criminality
take place based on logic and not tradition or morality. The
above classical scholars voiced their views on technology,
crime and effects on society with an objective focus on the
changes taking place in the society as a result of technology.
Moreover, they felt that new forms of crime would emerge as a
result of technological advancements which is evident in the
modern society. Comment by Chris: I do not see Durkheim
in your bibliography. Comment by Chris: I do not see
Weber in your bibliography.
Modern-day thinkers on crime and technology such as Robert
Merton (1968) in his renowned Anomie theory pointed out that
the society sets goals with little means of achieving them.
Among the five ways of reaction to the set societal goals is
innovation. This means that people accept the set goals but do
not consider the set means of achieving them as effective.
Consequently, they create new means of achieving the set goals
with some being criminal such as cybercrime. Technology
cannot be classifies as either food or bad, neither is it an
impartial force. It has led to changes in the society is structured
causing a shift from industrial to network structure. A network
structure undoubtedly increases interaction between people
around the world resulting to ‘Organized Global Crime’.
Comment by Chris: I do not see Merton in your
bibliography. Comment by Chris: I do not see Majid in your
bibliography.
Majid (2006) opines that crimes change rapidly and what’s
criminal or not varies with time and change in place. The author
quotes a wide array of ways in which cybercrime has impacted
negatively to the society. He discusses the various forms of
cybercrime among them e-frauds, online hate speech, piracy,
and pornography among others. The criminal justice still lacks
the knowhow and up to date knowledge in dealing with
cybercrime. Some people are victims of cyber-attacks due to
online freedom made possible by technology thus increasing

5. their vulnerability as Jainshankar (2011) rightly points out. A
relatively new scope of cybercrime known as cyber terrorism is
advanced by Clarke (2009), whereby perpetrators utilize
computers and networks to wage war against other countries
such burning of high power transmission lines, explosion of gas
pipes among others. Holt (2011) put an emphasis on four main
types of cybercrime namely cyber theft, cyber violence, and
cyber trespass and cyber porn. In his view there exists a gap in
research that need to raise public awareness who in his view
search anything from the internet unaware of the risk they
expose themselves to. Whereas some scholars believe that the
internet has increased relationships between people, others
disagree. The latter opine that the internet contributes a decline
in communication in the family hence increasing depression and
aggression. There is little physical interaction as family
members gain hat can be referred to as ‘virtual families’
therefore loosing contact with the real life family members.
This contributes to cybercrime in two ways. Firstly, people
spend more time on the internet which may sometimes trigger
the will to explore further thus learning ways of committing
cybercrime. Secondly, loss of contact with the family among
young adults and children reduces the impact it the family has
in molding positive behavior. Comment by Chris: I do not see
Jainshankar in your bibliography. Comment by Chris: I do not
see Clarke in your bibliography. Comment by Chris: I do not
see Holt in your bibliography.
Significance of the study
The research shall enlighten common internet users about
cybercrime, what it is and its importance in the growing
technological developments. Moreover, the study shall increase
their knowledge on how they can reduce vulnerability to
cyberattacks by looking to already known predisposing factors
to cyber-attacks (Clough, 2010). This paper shall discuss
various aspects of cyber-crimes amongst them: defining the
term, laws governing them, methods of perpetration, scope of

6. victims, its prevention and reasons why it occurs. Cybercrime is
on an upward trend given that technology is and shall not
expected to stagnate.
The study also seeks to understand the scope of national and
international responsibilities in fighting cybercrime. This is
because as it is the case with Transnational Organized Crime
(TOC), cybercrime requires international cooperation so as to
overcome limitations emanating from the question of
jurisdiction (Goodman, 2015). The study shall also point out
when the federal government can infringe on a suspect’s rights
such as right to privacy in the name of curbing cybercrime. This
is currently a burning issue in the U.S as evident in the ongoing
lawsuit dubbed ‘Federal government Vs. Apple’ (Benner, 2016).
The study shall further search for ways in which business
entities can practice proper safety so to safeguard integrity and
privacy of stored information. These practices range from
staying off game sites to forwarding mails especially chain
mails.
The hallmark of the study shall be to assess social impact of
cybercrime as it is a rather neglected aspect. More emphasis is
put in economic scope which although has detrimental effects
should not supersede social implications of cybercrime
(Goodman, 2015). This is because cybercrime incriminate on
the very fiber of our society. Children are possible victims
hence should be targeted for education on proper use of
computers. Parents should endeavor to monitor their activities
on the computer and internet.
Research design
A mixed research design shall be employed namely quantitive
and qualitative in addressing the problem statement. In my
approach for the research I shall use correlational design to
explore the relationship if any between cyber criminality and
weak social ties. Most classical and modern scholars seem to
agree that weak social ties causes deviance but struggle to relate
cybercrime to that phenomenon. Comment by Chris:
Misspelled. “Quantitative”. Comment by Chris: First-person.

7. Rephrase: “In the researcher’s approach…” Comment by
Chris: First-person. Rephrase “this researcher”. Comment by
Chris: “a”
To accomplish a clear research, I shall embark on a comparative
analysis between conventional and historical policies and their
effectiveness in dealing with the problem statement to support
the research. In addition, understanding both historical and
conventional policies shall enable us identify loopholes or gaps
within the law or policies that benefit cyber criminals.
Cybercrime is complex and has numerous question begging for
answers hence a mixed research design shall enable the research
give possible answers. Comment by Chris: First person.
Rephrase “this researcher”
Comment by Chris: Your bibliography needs to be on a
separate page. It also looks like you center-justified your text.
This is incorrect. You must left-justify your citations. Turabian
formatting requires single-spacing within each citation, with a
single-space in between citations. You must also tab in .5
inches on each line beneath the author’s name.
Bibliography
Ahmad, R. & Yunos, Z. (2012). A dynamic cyber terrorism
framework. International Journal of Computer Science and
Information Security, 10(2), 149-158
Brenner, S. W. (2010). Cybercrime: Criminal threats from
cyberspace. Santa Barbara, Calif: Praeger.
Benner, E. (2016). Apple Fights Order to Unlock San
Bernardino Gunman’s iPhone. Nytimes.com. Retrieved 24

8. February 2016. Retrieved from
http://www.nytimes.com/2016/02/18/technology/apple-timothy-
cook-fbi-san-bernardino.html
Clough, J. (2010). Principles of cybercrime. Cambridge, UK:
Cambridge University Press.
Goodman, M. (2015). Future Crimes: Everything Is Connected,
Everyone Is Vulnerable and What We Can Do About It. New
York [New York] : Doubleday.
Kirwan, G., & Power, A. (2012). The psychology of cyber
crime: Concepts and principles. Hershey, PA: Information
Science Reference.
Kirwan, G., & Power, A. (2013). Cybercrime: The psychology
of online offenders. Cambridge Cambridge University.
O'Brien, M., & Yar, M. (2008). Criminology: The key concepts.
London: Routledge.
Ruan, K. (2013). Cybercrime and cloud forensics: Applications
for investigation processes. Hershey, PA: Information Science
Reference.
Daniella,
Your Week 4 Thesis Proposal is missing a couple of critical
items. I did not see your Purpose Statement clearly stated
anywhere. I also noted numerous authors that you cite, yet you
do not have corresponding entries in your bibliography. I noted
several instances of your usage of the first-person narrative,
which needs to be corrected to the third-person narrative. Your
bibliography was not properly formatted and was double-
spaced. Your bibliography needs to be on a separate page. It
also looks like you center-justified your text. This is incorrect.
You must left-justify your citations. Turabian formatting
requires single-spacing within each citation, with a single space
in between citations. You must also tab in .5 inches on each line
beneath the author’s name. Your Turnitin.com similarity rating
was 5% after excluding your bibliography, which is good. Next
week, you will submit your annotated bibliography, which will
help from the main content for your Literature Review.

9. I need you to re-accomplish your Week 4 paper that addresses
the items noted. Please re upload your Week 4 paper with the
word “Revised” in the title.
Chris
Criteria
Exemplary 16-20
Accomplished 11-15
Developing 6-10
Beginning 0-5
Total
Synthesis of Knowledge
17
Foundation of Knowledge
17
Application of Knowledge
16
Organization of Ideas/Format
12
Writing and Research Skill

10. 10
Total
50
12
10
72