Cyber-attacks on government departments, critical infrastructural facilities or digital infrastructure may have severe repercussions. While difficult to establish the actual source of attack, many countries suggest involvement of rival intelligence agencies in cyber-attacks on their establishments. Cyber-attacks on critical facilities such as water, transport, power and telecom may bring the entire country to a standstill. From Universities to defense contractors, business organizations to stock exchanges and media, all have been targets of cyber-attacks. Major Powers such as United States (U.S), United Kingdom (U.K) and China have increased efforts to deal with cyber threats. U.S recently announced that the country will keep all options open while dealing with cyber war. The U.S government is considering treating a cyber-attack as an “act of war”, and has not ruled out use of military strikes in response to cyber-attacks. The country is reportedly developing a new cyber warfare strategy to combat the growing threats.
The Conservative Party, which came to power in U.K last year, has placed cyber security as one of the tier one priorities.
Recently, U.K also reported that government networks face constant cyber-attacks, which include around 20,000 e-mail attacks. Nick Harvey, the armed forces minister of the country, as first reported by ‘The Guardian’, has now revealed plans of developing cyber weapons to improve defense capabilities. Highlighting the consequences of a sophisticated attack from a nation state or even a student, the minister emphasized on the need for toolbox of capabilities to combat such attacks.
China recently admitted that it has created a 30-member strong force of cyber commandos in the People’s Liberation Army (PLA). The aim of the force known as ‘the cyber blue team’ is to strengthen the defenses of the Chinese military network. However, many opine that China has been building its cyber capabilities for a long time and may have much greater force of cyber warriors. Some countries have started making mandatory for military professionals to undertake IT security certifications. Online university degree courses also help professionals in updating their skill sets.
Most of the government and business activities, functioning of industrial facilities, and critical infrastructure depend upon computer and electronic systems. Cyber-attack on their computer networks may not only result in disruption of activities, but also create chaos, have severe economic repercussions, and also threaten national security. As such, countries must place high emphasis on strengthening the IT infrastructure. They must assess the security scenario, understand different cyber threats and their implications, create robust security policies, and develop mechanisms to strengthen the defenses of a country against any cyber-attack from hostile forces. They must also create a force of cyber security specialists qualified in penetration testing, network administration, computer forensics, wireless security, system administration, masters of security science, computer science degree, incident management and security analysis.
Apart from developing cyber security specialists, governments must also create cyber security awareness among employees and Internet users by organizing national security week, encouraging online degree courses, and conducting training programs and workshops. Proactive approach is required to tackle the growing threats in the cyber space.
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EC-Council University is based in Albuquerque, New Mexico and offers Master of Security Science (MSS) degree to students from various backgrounds such as graduates, IT Professionals, and military students amongst several others. The MSS is offered as a 100% online degree program and allows EC-Council University to reach students from not only the United States, but from all around the world.
EC-Council is a member-based organization that certifies individuals in cybersecurity and e-commerce skills. It is the owner and developer of 16 security certifications, including Certified Ethical Hacker (CEH), Computer Hacking Forensics Investigator (CHFI) and EC-Council Certified Security Analyst (ECSA)/License Penetration Tester (LPT). Its certificate programs are offered in over 60 countries around the world.
EC-Council has trained over 80,000 individuals and certified more than 30,000 members, through more than 450 training partners globally. These certifications are recognized worldwide and have received endorsements from various government agencies including the U.S. federal government via the Montgomery GI Bill, Department of Defense via DoD 8570.01-M, National Security Agency (NSA) and the Committee on National Security Systems (CNSS). EC-Council also operates the global series of Hacker Halted security conferences.
