Report for Congress Received through the Crs Web Homeland Security – Reducing the Vulnerability of Public and Private Information Infrastructures to Terrorism: An Overview Updated December 12, 2002

By Seifert, Jeffrey W.

Book Id: WPLBN0000232198
Format Type: PDF eBook:
File Size: 0.1 MB
Reproduction Date: 2008

Title:	Report for Congress Received through the Crs Web Homeland Security – Reducing the Vulnerability of Public and Private Information Infrastructures to Terrorism: An Overview Updated December 12, 2002
Author:	Seifert, Jeffrey W.
Volume:
Language:	English
Subject:	Government publications, Legislation., Government Printing Office (U.S.)
Collections:	Government Library Collection
Historic Publication Date:
Publisher:	Government Printing Office


Citation APA MLA Chicago W. Seifer, B. J. (n.d.). Report for Congress Received through the Crs Web Homeland Security – Reducing the Vulnerability of Public and Private Information Infrastructures to Terrorism: An Overview Updated December 12, 2002. Retrieved from http://self.gutenberg.org/

Excerpt
Summary: This report assesses the impact of the September 11, 2001 attacks on public and private information infrastructures in the context of critical infrastructure protection, continuity of operations (COOP) planning, and homeland security. Analysis of the effects of the terrorist attacks suggests various “lessons learned.” These lessons support three general principles. The first principle emphasizes the establishment and practice of comprehensive continuity and recovery plans. One lesson learned in this area is to augment disaster recovery plans. Businesses and agencies, who now must consider the possibility of complete destruction and loss of a building, may need to augment their disaster recovery plans to include the movement of people, the rapid acquisition of equipment and furniture, network connectivity, adequate workspace, and more. A corollary to this lesson learned is the need to assure that recovery procedures are well documented and safeguarded so that they can be fully utilized when necessary. A second lesson is the need to back up data and applications. Without a comprehensive backup system that captures more than just an organization’s data files, a significant amount of time can be lost trying to recreate applications, organize data, and reestablish user access. A corollary to this lesson learned is the need to fully and regularly test backup sites and media to ensure their reliability and functionality.

Table of Contents
Contents Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 Relevance and Context of the September 11, 2001 Attacks . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Summary of the Events and Impact of September 11, 2001 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 New York - the World Trade Center . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 Virginia - the Pentagon . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 Lessons Learned . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8 Lessons Regarding Continuity and Recovery Planning and Practices . . . . . . . . . 10 Augment Disaster Recovery Plans . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11 Backing Up Data and Backing Up Applications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13 Lessons Regarding Decentralization . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15 Decentralize Operations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15 Ensure the Ability to Communicate with Internal and External Constituencies . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16 Lessons Regarding Redundancy and Planning of Communications . . . . . . . . . . 18 Employment of Redundant Service Providers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18 Use of Generic Replaceable Technology . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19 Future Considerations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20 Emphasis on Business Continuity Over Disaster Recovery . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20 Information Sharing and Collaboration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21 For Further Reading . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22 CRS Reports . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22 Other Resources . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23