Source: Tuesday, 27 October 2009 00:00 Frank Umbach and Uwe Nerlich are Senior Associates for International Energy Security, Centre for European Security Strategies (CESS), Munich-Berlin. Published in IAGS Journal of Energy Security:
In both Western governments and industries, security concerns about increasing cyber warfare attacks by individuals, crime organizations and governments regarding espionage or malicious software programs that damage and disrupt processes of critical infrastructure assets and processes have grown considerably in the last several last years. These cyber attacks have risen to an unprecedented level of sophistication. As a result, the vulnerabilities of digital systems and networks have grown exponentially. However, public awareness has not kept up with these new threats, and vulnerabilities in cyberspace, which have the potential to affect all sectors of private and public life, national and international businesses, and even the defense policies of states, multinational organizations like the EU, and collective security organizations like NATO.