Global Cybersecurity Report

Introduction

Over the years, cyber attackers have gained more opportunities to attack organizations. Some of the factors include a large number of unregulated social media channels, the increase in the number of internet-connected devices and the explosion of global connectivity (NTT Security, 2019). The evolving technology and digital transformation have led countries to look for new ways to deal with cyber-attacks and introduced several policies. The most attacked sector is the financial sector and cybercriminals continue to apply malware. The United States applies the National Cyber Security Strategy which is designed to improve security as well as national resilience of national services and infrastructures. The current report explores the international and regional cybersecurity as well as Botnet malware. 

International Cybersecurity Threat Matrix

Generally, all countries are experiencing cybersecurity threats. I explored the international cybersecurity threat in three countries: Europe, Nigeria, and Russia. The majority of organizations in Europe are phishing information which increases the diversity of threats in the country, in turn increasing the challenge to manage the cyberattacks (Gady and Austin, 2010). Nigeria, on the other hand, is a politically fragile country and has experienced different cybersecurity threats including hackers, e-crimes, ISIS, and Boko Haram (Frank and Odunayo, 2013). The third country was Russia which has a pronounced cybersecurity threat which led the country to introduce Internet Service Providers (ISPs) on April 1, 2019 (Khayryuzov, 2018)

International Environmental Scan

Accordance with the US law, a malicious cyber activity where attackers aim at impairing or compromising the integrity, confidentiality, and availability of virtual infrastructure, networks, communication systems, and availability of computers. The White House (2016) defines an n environmental scan as, “assess the scope and sufficiency of efforts to educate and train the American cybersecurity workforce of the future, including cybersecurity-related education curricula, training, and apprenticeship programs, from primary through higher education.” Besides NIST cybersecurity incidents include DDoS attacks, attempts to gain unauthorized access to a system, and unauthorized changes to the system, software, firmware, and hardware. 

Regional Cybersecurity Threat Fact Sheet

The United States follows the Cybersecurity National Action Plan (CNAP) which is responsible for empowering Americans to take better control of their digital security, maintaining public safety protections and awareness, protecting privacy, and enhancing awareness and protections. The White House (2016) explains that CNAP directs the Federal Government to improve the cybersecurity approaches across the individuals’ lives, private lives, and the government. The CNAP is responsible for forming a commission that enhances national cybersecurity. Besides, the regional cybersecurity is responsible for empowering Americans to secure their online accounts. 

Botnet Evaluation

The attacks of botnets differ from one area to another where it is higher in developing countries, the low rate in undeveloped regions, while developed countries have low but increasing rates. Many regions have introduced policies to eliminate Botnets but the malware’s infection continues to increase. Some of the strategies aimed at managing botnets include enforcing the law to the botmasters, those that destroyed ISP notifications and C&C Operation Clean Slate. The best recommendation for botnets is introducing a global goal, standardized and measuring any form of botnet malware (Ermine, 2018). 

Botnet Discussion

The technology of botnets is vast in the digital world where botnet masters test their botnets to other attackers. It is a business where cybercriminals continue to use botnets to host illegal files, steal critical information, perform DDoS attacks, and send spam (Liu et al’, 2009). However, learning the ability of botnets and loopholes of the technology opens rooms for defenders to attack back and resolve the issue. However, it is crucial to note that digitalization is an open room for more innovation in terms of new models that are challenging to identify. 

Botnet Conclusion

Cybercriminals apply the technology of botnets to compromise computer networks without the user’s knowledge. The study identifies that the botnets take advantage of cultured malware techniques to attain private information of users. The problem of botnets in the country and worldwide continue to increase due to cheap digital video recorders, webcams and other “Internet of things.” The United States is ranked as the cleanest country in terms of per capita while China is leading in terms of the reported number of botnets. 

Conclusion

The global cybersecurity report explores varying cybersecurity threats facing the world today. It is clear that cybersecurity issues are not marginalized and affect all countries making it a global issue. In the international cybersecurity matrix, three countries; Nigeria, Europe, and Russia with differing GDPs experience cyber threats in differing ways but in a way to illustrate the significance of global goal to tackle the cyberthreat. An example of a malware requiring global goal is botnets as the challenge may worsen as additional innovations and devices enter the internet world. 

Reference

Ermine, A. (2018). Bots and botnets in 2018 Statistics on botnet attacks on clients of organizations. Securelist. Retrieved from https://securelist.com/bots-and-botnets-in-2018/90091/

Frank, I., & Odunayo, E. (2013). Approach to cyber security issues in Nigeria: challenges and solution. International Journal Of Cognitive Research In Science, Engineering And Education, 1(1).

 Gady, F. S., & Austin, G. (2010). Russia, the United States, and cyber diplomacy. Opening the Doors, EastWestInstitute, New York.

Khayryuzov, V. (2018). Russian Federation: Privacy And Cybersecurity In Russia. Noerr. Retrieved from http://www.mondaq.com/russianfederation/x/750216/Data+Protection+Privacy/Privacy+And+Cybersecurity+In+Russia

Liu, J., Xiao, Y., Ghaboosi, K., Deng, H., & Zhang, J. (2009). Botnet: classification, attacks, detection, tracing, and preventive measures. EURASIP Journal on wireless communications and networking, 2009(1), 692654.

NTT Security (2019). Global Threat Intelligence Report. NTT Security. [online] Available at: https://www.nttsecurity.com/docs/librariesprovider3/resources/2019-gtir/2019_gtir_report_2019_uea_v2.pdf [Accessed 15 Sep. 2019].The White House (2016). FACT SHEET: Cybersecurity National Action Plan. The White House. [online] Available at: https://obamawhitehouse.archives.gov/the-press-office/2016/02/09/fact-sheet-cybersecurity-national-action-plan [Accessed 15 Sep. 2019].