and what are its consequences?II.IT and Security Issues In a very real sense, the "Information Superhighway" has become the economic brace of many developed nations. While leading the world into the Information Age, developed nations have become uniquely dependent on that highway—the computers and the global network that connect them together. This dependency has become a clear and compelling threat to their economic well being, their citizens’ public safety, and their national security for a number of reasons.The world's communication networks, referred to by many as "cyberspace," know no physical boundaries. Increasing connectivity to and through cyberspace increases any nation’s exposure to traditional adversaries as well as a growing body of new ones. Drug traffickers, organized crime, terrorists and radical groups will join adversarial nation-states in making use of a rapidly increasing array of sophisticated information attack tools. Information attacks can supplement or replace traditional military attacks, greatly complicating and expanding the vulnerabilities developed nations encounter. The resources at risk include not only information stored in or traversing cyberspace, but all of the components of infrastructure that depend upon IT and the timely availability of accurate information. These include the telecommunications infrastructures themselves; banking and financial systems; electrical power systems; other energy systems, such as oil and gas pipelines; transportation networks; water distribution systems; medical and health care systems; emergency services, such as police, fire, and rescue; and government operations at all levels. All are necessary for economic success and national security. Furthermore, governments and militaries of most, if not all developed countries rely on IT to store and secure sensitive information—data that if stolen could provide an adversary with an unfathomable advantag...
