Abstract

Cyberspace refers to the environment of global digital electronic telecommunications. Broader than the ‘Internet’ it includes the entire spectrum of networked information and communication systems and devices. Cyberspace is pervasive today and growing relentlessly. It now permeates all aspects of society, economics, and politics to the point of being widely recognized as ‘critical infrastructure’ by governments, the private sector, and civil society. Network downtime, even for a few minutes, can trigger huge financial losses, and disrupt political organization or government services deemed essential. The security of cyberspace is, therefore, one of the critical questions of global politics in the twenty-first century (Deibert 2013).