During a recent talk at The Chautauqua Institution, Denise Zheng held forth on the nature of cyber conflict: past, present, and future. A Senior Fellow and the Director of Technology Policy at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, Zheng has some interesting perspectives on the nature of cyber threats going forward. The concept of deterrence, for example is complicated, at least on a national or global scale. “Deterrence requires attribution supported by evidence, further supported by classified information and practices,” Zheng suggests, and governments know that for every action there is a reaction, often deploying the same technology. So global resolution of cyber threat potential seems problematic.

War On Commerce and Politics

Actual warfare involving “disruption and destruction” does not seem as threatening in the near term. According to Zheng, “cyber capability requires constant monitoring and grooming, and networks are constantly changing.” Such a fluid state doesn’t instill the exacting confidence needed when deploying a weapon of even slight destruction. Instead, cyber remains a better tool for espionage, intelligence gathering, and intrusions for commercial and economic benefit. The Chinese have mastered this last part, and their hacking efforts tend to correlate fairly directly with their most recent Five-Year Plan.

Debates And Jobs And You

Edward Snowden and the USA Freedom Act are just parts of the recent evolution of cyber. European fundamental rights to privacy and Chinese restrictions on global technology trade in preference for domestically-produced products suggest that we are approaching a robust global debate on the tension between technology and privacy. And Zheng suggests that over 2 million current cyber jobs remain unfilled, awaiting people with the right skills.

At ICS, we have the right people with the right skills. While the world grapples with the big questions, let’s go to work making sure you’re prepared for whatever happens. Call today.