Governments worldwide are too often playing catch-up against private cyberspace operators in what is poised to become a key arena for defending national interests, the International Institute for Strategic Studies said Tuesday.

And while the US remains the dominant cyberspace power, China is rapidly gaining ground and could soon be a major rival in both the civil and military spheres, the Britain-based research group said after a two-year study.

"All countries are still in the early stages of coming to terms with the strategic implications of cyberspace," the IISS analysts said.

"A sense of crisis and inadequacy is pervasive in political circles, with private actors seemingly saying 'catch me if you can' to governments as they race to maximise immense profits."

Despite the rapid advances in surveillance and intelligence technologies that exploit advanced computing and network capabilities, most governments have yet to establish legal and political frameworks for their use.

"The traditional structures of government, corporate management and social organisation consistently struggle to adapt in a timely fashion," the IISS report said.

It ranked 15 major countries into three groups based on their technological prowess, with the US at the top given its 25 years of experience and investment in cyber-capabilities.

But China is gaining ground after making rapid progress in certain fields, as have Russia, Britain, Israel, Australia, Canada and France.

In a third group are emerging countries such India, Japan, Iran and North Korea, which are still weak in certain areas but with ambitious plans for staking out their patch of the cybersphere.

"China is a second-tier cyber power but, given its growing industrial base in digital technology, it is the state best placed to join the US in the first tier," the analysts said.

"At the heart of the national strategies of the US and China, and the trade war between them, is competition for control over the technologies that physically underpin the future of cyberspace -- such as microchip production, computer assembly, mobile internet (such as 5G), cloud architectures, cables and routers," they said.

Related Links
Cyberwar - Internet Security News - Systems and Policy Issues

Tweet

Thanks for being here; We need your help. The SpaceDaily news network continues to grow but revenues have never been harder to maintain. With the rise of Ad Blockers, and Facebook - our traditional revenue sources via quality network advertising continues to decline. And unlike so many other news sites, we don't have a paywall - with those annoying usernames and passwords. Our news coverage takes time and effort to publish 365 days a year. If you find our news sites informative and useful then please consider becoming a regular supporter or for now make a one off contribution.
SpaceDaily Contributor $5 Billed Once credit card or paypal		SpaceDaily Monthly Supporter $5 Billed Monthly paypal only

Secret UK defence documents found at bus stop
London (AFP) June 27, 2021
Britain's government said Sunday it was investigating how secret defence documents, outlining the movements of a warship that led to Russia firing warning shots off the Crimean coast, were found at a bus stop in England. The Ministry of Defence said that an employee told it last week that the documents had been lost, and that an investigation had been launched. "It shouldn't be able to happen," Brandon Lewis, minister for Northern Ireland, told Sky News on Sunday. "It was properly reported a ... read more