Admittedly, the development of technology resulted in the beginning of Information Era. People have developed a brand new space – cyber domain. Cyberspace suggests numerous opportunities, but it also contains many threats. One of the major concerns related to cyberspace is national and personal security.
First, it is important to define the term “cyberspace”. According to the National Military Strategy for Cyberspace Operations cyberspace is a “domain characterized by the use of electronics and the electromagnetic spectrum to store, modify, and exchange date via networked systems and associated physical infrastructures” (Lopez 2007).
Three decades ago, when networks were only under development the issues of security were not taken into account, but in the beginning of the twenty-first century these issues have become of primary importance (Hancock 2006, 6).
As far as U.S. military networks are concerned it is necessary to point out that cyberspace used is secure and safe from possible attacks. However, when it deals with private sector, cyberspace is vulnerable to various attacks. For instance, U.S. power grid is one of the most vulnerable spheres for cyber attacks since it belongs to a private sector and it is not governed by the government (Cyber War – The Aurora Project 2009).
There is no effective security software in this sector and this can be extremely dangerous for the country. For instance, numerous incidents of attacks have been staged to reveal the most vulnerable places.
The consequences of real attacks can lead to million dollars losses in every state. It goes without saying that this opportunity is not considered only by IT-professionals and government, but can be used by cyber terrorists as well.
U.S. power grid is not the only example of cyberspace vulnerability. Nowadays almost all sectors of U.S. economy rely on cyberspace. Hospitals, schools, banks and large companies are all potential targets of cyber attack. Unfortunately, there are still no effective regulatory regimes which could secure not only military cyberspace, but private sector cyberspace as well.
That is why nowadays military networks have to cope with outcomes of cyber attacks rather than focus on these attacks prevention.
It is necessary to point out that the United States address the problem and try to work out strategies and methods of regulating cyberspace, detecting various threats and neutralizing them (Lopez 2007). However, the issues of security are still under discussion, since new problems and possible threats emerge.
More so, it is important to remember that cyberspace is not confined to certain physical boundaries. It is possible to attack cyberspace from different countries. In fact, anyone who has access to the Internet can potentially threaten any company or organization’s security.
Therefore, it is essential to launch international meetings which would address issues of cyberspace security. Unfortunately, nowadays countries try to solve these problems in their own ways. However, the good news is that governments of different countries start cooperating in this field.
In conclusion, it is possible to point out that nowadays the issues of cyberspace security come in the fore. U.S. government pays much attention to these issues trying to detect possible threats and work out effective strategies to prevent any type of cyber attacks. Unfortunately, major part of cyberspace belongs to the private sector and it is often difficult to govern it.
One more constraint that any country faces is the absence of international regulatory regimes which could minimize the number of possible cyber attacks. Fortunately, the process of international cooperation in this field has begun.
Reference List
Cyber War – The Aurora Project. 2009. Youtube.
Hancock, Bill. 2006. “How to Stop Talking About- and Start Fixing – Cyber Security Problems.” Cutter IT Journal 19 no. 5: 6-11.
Lopez, Todd. 2007. “Fighting in Cyberspace Means Cyber Domain Dominance.” Air Force Print News. Web.