Flexibility required to defeat cyber threats

We live, work, and socialize in a hyper-connected world.The world’s growing reliance on electronics, the Internet, computer systems and devices, and digital infrastructure has ushered in a new age of battle. From skirmishes such as we witnessed recently between pro-Palestinian supporters and Israel to the discovery of cyber espionage activities that have gone on undetected for years, the way we view conflict has changed forever.

We have entered the age of conflict where intelligence agencies, and also the militaries of countries around the world, struggle to adapt to the requirements of this rapidly changing domain. The rapid development and availability of cyber weapons to criminals, terrorists and rogue nation states are without question a significant cause of concern for businesses, governments and militaries, which are are busy crafting the defense strategies and doctrine for cyber response.

The rapid evolution of cyber threats requires flexibility. Perhaps the most difficult adaptation is to the pace at which all the activities associated with cyber espionage and cyber intelligence collection, analysis and dissemination occurs, and also the pace that cyber weapons are created, evolve and adapt to our defensive needs. This is only rivaled by the pace with which a cyber weapon strikes. After all, the bits and bytes of malicious code used to create a cyber weapon travels at light speed through fiber optic cables. It is difficult to think of an aspect of modern life that is not directly reliant on this infrastructure. It is that reliance that has made cyberattacks such a huge challenge and risk.