Introduction
The smallest security flaw in the cyber protection is capable of total disaster in the global information and technology sector. Measures to protect the critical infrastructures and individuals from cyber threats must enhance ability and effectiveness in the achievement of higher protection rates and have the capacity to seal the numerous patches. The federal expenditure towards cyber protection has recorded a climbing trend in the recent years. (Verton, 2002) estimates that “The US government is about to get very serious on it’s spending for cyber security protection and the plan is to help control and better protect itself and its assets against future attacks with an estimated 15-30 billion spanning over the next five years”.
International Cyber Protection Measures Effective to the United States
“Accepting this premise (that an evolving cyber competition is a permanent character of the global environment) requires responses that offer a comprehensive, multi-disciplinary approach to analysis: looking at the full range of factors that shape and alter the security environment of the future including social, political, technological, and economic trends, as well as dynamic responses that eschew one-time or simple technical fixes to security challenges” (Carafano & Weitz, 2008). Such international efforts include the strategies of resiliency. All domestic cyber prorammes such as controlling the movement of goods and services and borders of terrorist organizations must take international dimension. The United States forms part of the this global market and as such effective cyber crime measures on issues of supply chain and public private partnerships would assist not only in the United States but in the world as well. International efforts include ensuring that the global economy remains stable even after a cyber attack and increasing funding on research initiatives towards cyber protection. “When it comes to cyber security, virtually no state is self sufficient” (Henderson, 2002,).
The United States must therefore work in harmony with other countries and adopt international measures to protect its critical infrastructures from cyber threats. Other International efforts on cyber protection that would be beneficial to the United States include the international cooperation in investigation and prosecution to easen the solution of trans-border incidents. This involves the “harmonization of laws, technical standards setting, cooperative international emergency response mechanisms, and intelligence sharing” (Cordesman, 2002). Furthermore, Cordesman (2002) illustrates that “The creation of an international agency such as the international Agency for Information Infrastructure Protection (AIIP) that aims at providing a platform for cooperation on the development of standards that relates to cyber security”.
Cyber-protection programs implemented at the local and international levels
“Cyber crime is transnational, and requires a transnational response” (Henderson, 2002,). While local efforts cannot be ignored, international efforts best handles the threat of cyber attacks. In addition to the above, Handerson (2002) demonstrates that both local and international efforts include “strengthening laws that relate to cyber crime, bilateral cooperation on the investigation and prosecution of cyber criminals, adoption of laws and state regulations that define dangerous cyber activities as criminal in nature and cooperation in the formulation and implementation of standards and cyber practices that ensure the safety and security of all infrastructures”.
Reference
Carafano, J.J and Weitz, R. (2007). Enhancing International Collaboration for Homeland Security and Counterterrorism. Web.
Cordesman, A. H. (2002). Cyber-Threats, information warfare, and critical infrastructure protection: Defending the U.S. homeland Westport, CT: Praeger.
Henderson, S. E. (2002). Suing the insecure?: A duty of care in cyberspace. New Mexico Law Review, 32(1), 11-25.
Verton, D. (2002). Critical infrastructure systems face threat of cyber attacks. Computerworld, 36(2), 8.