When the US President classifies a cyber attack as an attack on sovereignty of the nation requiring lethal response, the world takes notice. Today the infrastructure supporting our society is so dependent on information systems and communication networks that a cyber attack by a state or a non state actor can wreak havoc. It can cripple power systems, aviation, shipping, railways, factories, mobile networks and the entire span of productive activity.
In such a situation there is really no option but to treat cyber attack as war on society and the state. The legislation and the Rules of Engagement to deal with the various situations need to be constantly updated. More importantly, our organization for countering cyber threats requires to be an integrated national structure cutting across the boundaries of various Central Ministries. This requires an informed debate in the parliament so as to balance citizen liberties with national security requirements. Some loss of digital privacy is bound to occur – this would be the price we pay for protecting our vital information based infrastructure.
We as citizens must analyze and discuss the issue in perspective and take necessary steps to ensure cyber security in our individual ambit. Collectively this measure alone would increase our resilience several fold.
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