1、 www.crs.gov | 7-5700 November 6, 2014 Cybersecurity Issues and Challenges Overview Information and communications technology (ICT) is ubiquitous and increasingly integral to almost every facet of modern society. ICT devices and components are generally interdependent, and disruption of one may affe
2、ct many others. Over the past several years, experts and policymakers have expressed increasing concerns about protecting ICT systems from cyberattacks. The risks associated with any attack depends on three factors: threats (who is attacking), vulnerabilities (how they are attacking), and impacts (w
3、hat the attack does). What are the threats? People who perform cyberattacks generally fall into one or more of five categories: criminals intent on monetary gain from crimes such as theft or extortion; spies intent on stealing classified or proprietary information used by government or private entit
4、ies; nation-state warriors who develop capabilities and undertake cyberattacks in support of a countrys strategic objectives; “hacktivists” who perform cyberattacks for nonmonetary reasons; and terrorists who engage in cyberattacks as a form of non-state or state-sponsored warfare. What are the vuln