Cyberspace is a complex environment consisting of interactions between people, software and services, supported by worldwide distribution of information and communication technology (ICT) devices and networks. It is a space that exists within the scope of Internet. It can be said that anything that is done via the use of Internet, occurs within the confines of the cyber-space, whether that is sending an e-mail, a website, or playing a game, all of these things exist within the cyber-space.
The term ‘cyberspace’ was first coined by William Gibson in his 1982 short story ‘Burning Chrome’ to refer to a computer generated virtual reality. However, the term became popular in 1984, after its use in Gibson’s novel Neuromancer. The origin of the first term ‘cyber’ comes from the Greek word kybernetes, which means pilot, governor, and ruler. It is also related to ‘cyborg’, a term that describes a human-machine synthesis resulted by connecting the human body in advanced high-tech devices. . Cyberspace strengthens almost every facet of the functions vital to society and provides support for areas like critical infrastructure, economy, public safety, and national security. Various National governments aim at making a substantial contribution to secure cyberspace and they have different focus areas in the cyber ecosystem. In this context, the level of cyber security reached is the sum of all national and international measures.
Cyberspace and Cybersecuirty
Time and again we have realized that cyberspace has inherent vulnerabilities due to the innumerable entry points into the internet. Cyberspace handles gigantic traffic volumes every second. Billions of emails and websites are being accessed every minute and billions of dollars are electronically transferred around the world by banks every day. The intangible dimensions of cyberspace make it a bane to regulate the conventional laws. Electronic information has become the main taregt of cybercrime. It is characterized by extreme mobility, which exceeds by far the mobility of persons, goods or other services. In the commercial world, cyberspace is a place where global video conferencing takes place, collaborative projects occur where many of the key members may be in different geographical locations and other online tools and information systems, which hold massive amounts of information, are accessed daily from different parts of the world.
Cybercrime is the latest and perhaps the most complicated problem in the cyber world. Some of the modern challenges a CIO faces include managing employee awareness of threats, developing an effective cyber security program in line with the organization’s mission, managing risks and ensuring resilience in the organizations information systems.
Cyber security is the protection of interconnected systems such as hardware, software and data from cyber threats. The practice is used by individuals and enterprises to protect against unauthorized access to data centers and other computerized systems. A strong cyber security strategy can provide a good security posture against malicious attacks designed to access, alter, delete, destroy or extort an organization’s or user’s systems and sensitive data. It is also helpful in preventing attacks that aim to disable or disrupt a system’s or device’s operations.
With references from:
https://searchsecurity.techtarget.com/definition/cybersecurity
https://www.carnaghan.com/what-exactly-is-cyberspace-and-cybersecurity/
https://vikaspedia.in/e-governance/national-e-governance-plan/national-cyber-security-policy