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Trends in Security Information
The HSD Trendmonitor is designed to provide access to relevant content on various subjects in the safety and security domain, to identify relevant developments and to connect knowledge and organisations. The safety and security domain encompasses a vast number of subjects. Four relevant taxonomies (type of threat or opportunity, victim, source of threat and domain of application) have been constructed in order to visualize all of these subjects. The taxonomies and related category descriptions have been carefully composed according to other taxonomies, European and international standards and our own expertise.
In order to identify safety and security related trends, relevant reports and HSD news articles are continuously scanned, analysed and classified by hand according to the four taxonomies. This results in a wide array of observations, which we call ‘Trend Snippets’. Multiple Trend Snippets combined can provide insights into safety and security trends. The size of the circles shows the relative weight of the topic, the filters can be used to further select the most relevant content for you. If you have an addition, question or remark, drop us a line at info@securitydelta.nl.
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Cyber attacks make clear that the world needs a Cyberstability Framework
The benefits of cyberspace—and the need to ensure its stability—have often been discussed, as have its challenges. Most notably, cyberspace may support both noble and ignoble purposes. For example, global connectivity, anonymity, and lack of traceability permit individuals and machines to connect to data and systems without asserting identity, but criminals can also leverage these attributes to commit crimes with impunity. As a result, governments, companies, and people around the world are faced with conundrums. Governments are interested in protecting cyberspace, delivering public services, and promoting other important activities (e.g., education and online banking) but are also interested in advancing national security interests, including law enforcement, intelligence, and military capabilities. Companies, concerned about protecting their customers, reputations, and profits, find themselves under attack, investigating malicious activities, and/ or subject to government data requests. People— whether they are themselves connected or not—are increasingly dependent on and embracing digital technology, but are concerned about its continued availability and integrity. Over the last decade, the number and sophistication of cyber attacks have increased, including attacks on government systems and critical infrastructures.3 As such, neither the status quo nor the observable trends are encouraging. Cyber attacks, which are conducted by both state and non-state actors, make clear that the world needs a Cyberstability Framework. Such a framework will serve to reduce the potential for significant disruptions of cyberspace that will undermine its benefits and reduce people’s well-being, including their rights and freedoms. Clearly, well-designed and built products and services, managed well by IT professionals and computer users, will increase security and stability, just as poorly or negligently designed products and services, or poor or negligent operational practices, will undermine them. But better development and operations will not be enough, especially with state and non-state actors viewing cyberspace as a battlefield where one can achieve political, military, or economic advantage. A persistent attacker can defeat security measures, giving rise to the adage that “offense beats defense on the Internet” and creating instability.4 Thus, it is important to focus not only on technology but on behaviors: how do we encourage all actors to behave in responsible ways that enhance—and do not threaten—the stability of cyberspace?