In the Great Game, Cyber Security Matters

At the beginning of this blog I discussed the relevance of cyber security to our lives in the 21st century. I talked about information and how all of Cyber Security is concerned with the protection of that information. While I think I did a good job of explaining why that matters to you, what this matters even more too takes place on a scale where winning and losing can mean the difference between life and death. When Cyber Security takes place in the great game played between nations and governments the stakes are high – and that is where Cyber Security really matters.

In the world of military, politics, and diplomacy information is a currency worth more than gold bullion. Allow me to explain. Sun Tzu described war as the, “art of deception”. There is that quote that says, “Knowledge is power.” Famous contributors to medicine have always warned us, “What you don’t know can kill you.” Do you get the idea?
Information means everything in international affairs. The country with the highest technological, economic, and geographical effectiveness is the country that not only survives for longer than its peers, but at a much higher quality of life as well. While it’s unfortunate we can’t all hold hands and “kumbaya” together, the consequences of being behind in this competition for scarce resources has a huge impact on every single person living within society and therefore information becomes premium! Imagine if the poorest country in the world had access to the same technological concepts as the richest country in the world? Obviously, it’s not as simple as this but that information could have a huge impact on that poor country.

As you can begin to see and understand how valuable this information is. Every day, that information is a target for someone else! The U.S and her allies rely, as well as every other country in the world, relies on keeping the information that benefits them secret from their enemies. Politicians every day are the targets of hackers and malicious intruders. Even your personal information can be used, not only against you, but against the country itself. Imagine if the banking systems across the United States were reduced to in person, cash only transactions? U.S diplomacy would grind to a halt as the country scrambled to get its economy and her people back on their feet again.

Cyber Security is an incredibly important subset in world affairs whether you can see it or not. As information is passed along, bought, traded, bribed, coerced, stolen, and manipulated in ways to benefit some and not for others the price of failing to secure this information can be drastic.