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Description
After reviewing current cyber-security frameworks issued by the United States government, stakeholder lessons-learned on cyber-security, and the current threat environment, it is obvious that cyber-security lacks an effective framework, policies and associated actions to meet the requirements of the 21st century. Currently, the majority of the world can access information at an amazing rate; however, the underlying technology that supports that is based on trust—that the technology will be secure and that no one would want to degrade or interrupt that capability. Unfortunately, hackers violate our trust and engage in criminal activity for profit, extortion, technology theft and sabotage. People trust that networks and companies will do everything possible to protect information. But when hackers are able to steal your information, trust is lost. The ongoing hacks have put pressure on all stakeholders to strengthen cyber-security guidelines and to protect users from fraud, identity theft, ransomware and other cyber-crimes. It would be easier if the hackers could be identified and held accountable, but attribution is very difficult to determine. While the U.S. government can help, it has to do so while understanding that the cyberworld remains free of control. Five strategic documents have been released by the U.S. government that could be utilized by corporations, the private sector, and individuals as a template, but they use inconsistent terminology and frameworks that all address the same issue—cyber-security. As long as these inconsistencies exist, it will be difficult to coordinate cyber-security across-the-board. And cyber-security will only be as strong as the weakest link. In developing an effective framework, it is important to keep in mind that today’s hackers are smart, adaptable, and are fighting a modern war. Therefore, a new approach to cyber-security must be established to meet today’s cyber needs. Synchronization and collaboration of effort is essential and this must start at the top with policy makers so that all stakeholders have an effective model to emulate.
