STRATEGIC INTELLIGENCE MANAGEMENT Chapter by Andrew Staniforth Chapter 17 - Securing Cyberspace: Strategic Responses for a Digital Age, Pg. 213

Section 4: Future Threats and Cyber Security 17. Securing Cyberspace: Strategic Responses for a Digital Age, Pg. 213 The growing role of cyberspace in society has opened up new threats as well as new opportunities. A growing number of adversaries are looking to use cyberspace to steal, compromise, or destroy critical data, and the national security machinery of governments have no choice but to find ways to confront and overcome these threats if they are to flourish in an increasingly competitive and globalized world. As citizens put more of their lives online, this matters more and more. People want to be confident that the networks that support our national security, our prosperity, and our own private lives as individuals are safe and resilient. The scale of our dependence now means that our economic well–being, our key infrastructure, our places of work, and our homes can all be directly affected. With the increase in unlawful and illegitimate activity in cyberspace a dedicated strategic response is required by governments to counter all types of cyber–related threats—a response that continues to present the greatest contemporary challenge to national security policy and practice.

Section 4: Future Threats and Cyber Security 17. Securing Cyberspace: Strategic Responses for a Digital Age, Pg. 213 In this chapter, the diverse range of cyber threats is explored alongside the countermeasures employed by governments to protect their citizens. Examined from a national security practitioner’s perspective the scale of the cyber security challenge is acknowledged as requiring strong national leadership, but examines how governments can no longer act alone and must seek out new partnerships in a collaborative response to ensure that they are better prepared today to meet the cyber security challenges of tomorrow.

Section 4: Future Threats and Cyber Security 17. Securing Cyberspace: Strategic Responses for a Digital Age, Pg. 213 Although the scale of the cyber security challenge requires strong national leadership, governments cannot act alone as they must recognize the limits of their competence in cyberspace. Much of the infrastructure that countries need to protect is owned and operated by the private sector. The expertise and innovation required to keep pace with the threat will be business driven. Similarly, although individual nations can improve their own defenses domestically, the Internet is fundamentally transnational and threats are cross-border. A global threat requires a global response. While governments across the world seek to define and then address their cyber security concerns, the technological advances of the Internet and the phenomenon of social media networks, smart mobile communications devices present both future challenges to, and opportunities for, the national security apparatus of states. By simply increasing collaborative approaches to all types of cyber threats will ensure that individually and collectively, governments are better prepared today to meet the cyber security challenges of tomorrow.