10 - Cyber Security

Summary

The cyber-attacks on South Korea and the United States, as well as those on Georgia in 2008 and Estonia in 2007 have awakened a certain consciousness in the minds of the international community, particularly that of the security community. As if triggered by a sense of vulnerability, when these cyber-attacks managed to disrupt normal services, states were hard pressed to extend national security policies to the realm of cyberspace especially those with highly developed information and communication technology structures. This chapter traces the securitization of cyberspace and ponders its implications for human security.

The secretary-general of the United Nation's (UN) International Telecommunication Union (ITU), Dr Hamadoun Toure, warned that the next world war could take place in cyberspace. Speaking to stakeholders from across all sectors including heads of state, Dr Toure called for global cooperation across all industries and sectors to provide cyber security which includes the protection of children, businesses and governments. He stressed that cyber security could only be achieved within an international global framework comprising countries who are committed towards protecting their citizens and privacy. “The next world war could happen in cyberspace and that would be a catastrophe. We have to make sure that all countries understand that in that war, there is no such thing as a superpower”, said Dr Toure.

Although Dr Toure's remarks seem alarming, he is not alone. The proliferation of cyber wars and cybercrimes have driven multilateral institutions such as the European Union (EU), North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) as well as national governments such as the United States (U.S.), the United Kingdom (UK), Australia, Malaysia and Singapore towards securing their cyberspace.

Anti-cybercrime laws empower the national cyber security agencies with the legal mandate to protect the state's critical information and communications technology (ICT) networks and infrastructure, particularly from international cyber criminals and cyber terrorists. The initial phase of delivering ICT infrastructures which drove the transformation from the Industrial Society to the Information Society has now been coupled with efforts to secure cyberspace. ICT, which was initially meant to reduce the spatial dimension and enhance global communication, has now taken the added burden of national security and sovereignty.