Cyber security has become a priority for governments around the world, as they consider that protecting assets available through the Internet, and computer systems and networks from hackers, is vital for the operation, stability of a nation, and the livelihood of its people.

Major cyber attacks against public services, data loss, and compromised networks make headlines and become a priority for governments; That is why companies and citizens recognize the need to take measures. To have a clearer context, in the list of the countries most prone to cyber-attacks, Mexico is the sixth most vulnerable country for malware attacks.

Governments around the world are grappling with questions about how to do this while taking care of privacy, civil liberties and costs. These cybersecurity issues have become major national conflicts requiring government consideration, and over the past decade strategies have been developed to address the security risks associated with the expanding use of information and communications technology.

It is important to consider that cyber attacks against these vital assets target corporations and citizens, and include: cybercrimes such as identity theft and fraud, politically motivated hackers, and sophisticated economic and military espionage; Therefore, actions to stop them are increasingly urgent.

What Is a National Strategy for Cyber Security?

A national cyber security strategy describes a vision of the situation and articulates priorities, principles, and approaches to understanding and managing risks. Priorities for national strategies on the issue will vary by country, but they are all important. In some nations, the focus may be on protecting critical infrastructure risks, while other countries may be interested in safeguarding intellectual property-related data and information, and still others may be dedicated to improving citizen awareness.

According to Héctor Sánchez Montenegro, Industry Standards Manager at Amazon Web Services (AWS), the most successful national strategies share three important characteristics:

• First, they are defined in policies that have been developed and implemented in partnership with the main stakeholders of the public and private data available on the internet, private sector companies play a very important role here.

• Second, they are based on clearly articulated principles that reflect social values ​​and legal principles around information privacy. However, programs created by the government in the name of security can potentially infringe on these rights and values ​​if they are not articulated and integrated as guiding principles.

• Third, the strategies are based on a cyber attack management approach where governments and private sector partners agree on the risks that must be managed or mitigated, and even those that must be accepted.

A national strategy, if developed correctly, can meet the needs of the country’s government, businesses, and citizens to defend against cyber attacks. To establish national cyber security priorities, a framework must reflect an understanding of the motives, possible threats, avenues of cyber attack, or exploitation of key information that could be targeted.

Below are 10 of the most common types of cyberattacks (1) around computer security:

• Denial of Service (DoS) Attacks
• Man in the Middle attack
• Phishing
• Malware attacks
• Brute force attack to obtain data and passwords
• SQL injection attack
• Cross-site scripting (XSS) attack
• Spy and privacy attack (Intercept traffic and messages)
• birthday attack
• Ransomware Attack
• Cyber Security

Cyber Security Policy

In this context, Slovenia is an exemplary case of national security strategies in the world. The vision of the European country is to establish a comprehensive cybersecurity system as an important integral factor of national security that will contribute to guaranteeing an open, safe, and protected cyberspace, which will lay the foundations for the proper functioning of the infrastructure, which is essential for operations. of state organizations, as well as for the life of each individual.

In 2020, Slovenia managed to establish an effective cybersecurity assurance system, which prevents the consequences of malicious actions by both internal and external hacker groups. This objective includes eight key points:

• Strengthening and systemic regulation of national information systems.
• The security of citizens in cyberspace.
• Information security in the economic sector.
• Ensures the operation of critical infrastructure in the information technology support sector.
• Cybersecurity to ensure public safety and combat cybercrime.
• Development of cyber defense capabilities to protect public services
• Ensure the safe operation and availability of major government systems in the event of disasters.
• Strengthening national cybersecurity through international cooperation.

The Main Highlights that the biggest risk to the implementation of the strategy was insufficient awareness of the importance of data and cybersecurity assurance, which goes hand in hand with a culture of low importance on the subject, lack of political will, and consensus for regulation.

On the contrary, the successful implementation of the strategy had a positive impact on the guarantee of national information, with positive multiplicative effects related to the increase in the level of trust of users in the Internet and, therefore, the development of new services.

Business models associated with its use, are reflected in digital economic growth and greater social well-being. If you have a greater interest in the topic, you can read the complete strategy on the Portal of the European Union Agency for Cyber ​​Security.