Cybersecurity and the digital Dark Ages
Written by: Previous staff on 2 July, 2009
Partying like it's 1399
Following last week’s publication of a UK national Cyber Security Strategy, the FT devoted a leader column to “Cyber security risk” highlighting the growing threat of cyber warfare to national security and resilience and its future role in conflict.
This is a subject close to the technology industry’s heart, and the recent publication of a national Cyber Security Strategy has now also focused Government’s attention on what many believe is the newest theatre of war. Whilst we at Russell Square therefore applaud the FT’s interest in the subject, I cannot help but disagree with their fundamental conclusion – that developed economies (including the UK) are better placed to withstand the collapse or compromise of our digital networks than less developed equivalents.
I’d posit that in truth the opposite is true - the UK is one of the world’s most technology dependent societies, and the impacts for Government, business and citizens of even part-failure of our “digital backbone” would be unprecedented.
As the 2003 power blackout on the east coast of the United States (which was itself, some say, caused by overenthusiastic Chinese cyberagents) proved, the inability to use ICT sends most developed world businesses and many vital public services – which depend solely on the Cyber domain for trade, communication and finance - back to the digital Dark Ages.
This contrasts sharply with less technology or service-based economies, where networks are both more limited and less integrated into business processes, and agricultural or manual industries could largely continue to function – Britain’s banking sector or creative industries could not.
We know that both state and non-state adversaries are using the Cyber domain to attack national infrastructure and our open and globalised society’s dependence on its digital backbone makes us an extremely vulnerable target. Intellect therefore welcomes the advent of the Cyber Security Strategy, and looks forward to helping Government use industry’s expertise, experience and innovation to aid its implementation.
Tags: Cybersecurity