“The integration of the Internet into critical operational structures of all levels of the government, the military and the nation’s economy has created a collective reliance on information technology that will only increase in the coming years,” says Steve Winterfeld, cyber technical lead at TASC. “Today the growing dangers of cyber warfare present a new national threat—one that demands a national commitment.”
The report, “Understanding Today’s Cyber Challenges,” groups the nation’s primary cyber threats into three categories: psychologically driven cyber challenges, process-driven challenges and technologically driven cyber challenges. These challenges range in severity from those that can be quickly and easily addressed to those that require sustained, long-term investment.
“Daily security breaches threaten everyone who operates in cyberspace,” says Winterfeld. “We face more devastating attacks as cyber thieves, nation-states and others become increasingly sophisticated in their knowledge of today’s networks.”
Government agencies and businesses can use the TASC report as a tool to categorize risks and mitigation practices most relevant and appropriate to their organizations. The study was produced in collaboration with the University of Virginia.
“Before 9/11, no one imagined an attack of such magnitude could happen anywhere, especially on U.S. soil,” says Winterfeld. “The threat of a cyber calamity of similar proportions is real, and such an attack would have far-reaching impacts at every level of our society. We urgently need to reach a common understanding of what those threats are and do what we can to mitigate them.”
To download a free copy of the report, or to learn more about TASC, visit http://www.tasc.com.