Stephen J. Lukasik

Protecting the global information commons

The rapid expansion of the Internet world-wide, especially as the World Wide Web has simplified access to its information resources and enabled e-commerce, but has also spawned an increasing number of abuses. If Internet-based information infrastructures are to continue to provide important services, and if they are not to be limited by their misuse, the protection of the information commons must become a central issue for its users. This paper discusses how that protection might be effected as the current infrastructure evolves. Approaches will involve both individual and collective action, and both private and public funding. The increasing role of sovereign states, the development of international law, and the necessity of nations addressing their cyber goals in ways that allow for compatible policies are discussed. Policy models useful for addressing these issues are reviewed and some specific proposals are made.

Cyber-attacks and international law

Governments and critical infrastructures rely increasingly on network computing technologies and are thus ever more vulnerable to cyber-attacks. Responding to such attacks - whether through diplomatic or economic sanctions, cyber-counterattack, or physical force - raises legal questions. International customary law is not yet fully formed on this issue, but the UN Charter and the laws of armed conflict establish certain baseline rules. Countries with a stake in evolving legal standards for the use of force in information operations should be prepared to make hard choices. Such countries should aim not only to preserve their own security, but also to set legal precedents that balance the need to use a new kind of force against the considerable, untested risks of doing so.

Protecting an invaluable and ever-widening infrastructure

Infrastructure” is defined as “the basic facilities, services, and installations needed for the functioning of a community or society, such as transportation and communications systems, water and power lines, and public institutions.” Societies invest in infrastructure to meet their current and future needs and thus infrastructure reflects the evolution of technology from simpler to more complex, and, in many parts of the world, increases efficiency for its operators, allows greater safety for society as a whole, and offers greater consumer choice. Diminishing infrastructure moves the society it supports toward less comfort and safety, from plenty to scarcity, from richness to want. Societies recognize their critical dependence on these “commons” and adopt policies and processes to distribute infrastructure and services and to protect them from damage and misuse. Conversely, attacking a society implies threatening its people and infrastructure systems. Denial of access to such basics as water, energy, and transit is a form of international conflict that threatens a nation’s security and often leads to war. The industrial revolution greatly increased the extent and the complexity of the world’s infrastructure, its connectivity, and its technical and economic interdependencies. Developed nations have, over the past generation, entered a second, equally significant, period—that of the information revolution. Information technology (IT) penetrates into many aspects of life for an increasing number of people throughout the world, enriching us but also producing systems of such complexity that they create new dependencies and risks to society.

Chapter 3: Implementing National Strategies: Actions and Actors

Advances in information technologies and their adoption in all sectors of modern life are not problem-free. This study examines the negative impact of those technologies on the central infrastructure systems on which societies depend for the delivery of essential services such as communication, electric power, transportation, and on the information systems that enable governments to function and economic enterprise to flourish. The underlying technologies of networked computer hardware and software are susceptible to massive failure. But unlike physical networks that can be engineered to be robust against natural events, random failures and even local sabotage, information systems are particularly susceptible to malicious acts. Attacks can exploit the connections that are a major virtue and failures in one part can propagate widely. This global character of information system vulnerabilities constitutes severe challenges to both national governments and the private owners of such critical systems. This Adelphi Paper examines the national strategies designed to cope with the emerging societal vulnerabilities and offers appropriate roles for both public and private sectors.

Chapter 1: The Vulnerabilities of National Infrastructures

Advances in information technologies and their adoption in all sectors of modern life are not problem-free. This study examines the negative impact of those technologies on the central infrastructure systems on which societies depend for the delivery of essential services such as communication, electric power, transportation, and on the information systems that enable governments to function and economic enterprise to flourish. The underlying technologies of networked computer hardware and software are susceptible to massive failure. But unlike physical networks that can be engineered to be robust against natural events, random failures and even local sabotage, information systems are particularly susceptible to malicious acts. Attacks can exploit the connections that are a major virtue and failures in one part can propagate widely. This global character of information system vulnerabilities constitutes severe challenges to both national governments and the private owners of such critical systems. This Adelphi Paper examines the national strategies designed to cope with the emerging societal vulnerabilities and offers appropriate roles for both public and private sectors.

Chapter 5: Strategic Options

Advances in information technologies and their adoption in all sectors of modern life are not problem-free. This study examines the negative impact of those technologies on the central infrastructure systems on which societies depend for the delivery of essential services such as communication, electric power, transportation, and on the information systems that enable governments to function and economic enterprise to flourish. The underlying technologies of networked computer hardware and software are susceptible to massive failure. But unlike physical networks that can be engineered to be robust against natural events, random failures and even local sabotage, information systems are particularly susceptible to malicious acts. Attacks can exploit the connections that are a major virtue and failures in one part can propagate widely. This global character of information system vulnerabilities constitutes severe challenges to both national governments and the private owners of such critical systems. This Adelphi Paper examines the national strategies designed to cope with the emerging societal vulnerabilities and offers appropriate roles for both public and private sectors.

Chapter 2: Strategic Defence Options

Advances in information technologies and their adoption in all sectors of modern life are not problem-free. This study examines the negative impact of those technologies on the central infrastructure systems on which societies depend for the delivery of essential services such as communication, electric power, transportation, and on the information systems that enable governments to function and economic enterprise to flourish. The underlying technologies of networked computer hardware and software are susceptible to massive failure. But unlike physical networks that can be engineered to be robust against natural events, random failures and even local sabotage, information systems are particularly susceptible to malicious acts. Attacks can exploit the connections that are a major virtue and failures in one part can propagate widely. This global character of information system vulnerabilities constitutes severe challenges to both national governments and the private owners of such critical systems. This Adelphi Paper examines the national strategies designed to cope with the emerging societal vulnerabilities and offers appropriate roles for both public and private sectors.

Chapter 4: Selecting a Strategy

Advances in information technologies and their adoption in all sectors of modern life are not problem-free. This study examines the negative impact of those technologies on the central infrastructure systems on which societies depend for the delivery of essential services such as communication, electric power, transportation, and on the information systems that enable governments to function and economic enterprise to flourish. The underlying technologies of networked computer hardware and software are susceptible to massive failure. But unlike physical networks that can be engineered to be robust against natural events, random failures and even local sabotage, information systems are particularly susceptible to malicious acts. Attacks can exploit the connections that are a major virtue and failures in one part can propagate widely. This global character of information system vulnerabilities constitutes severe challenges to both national governments and the private owners of such critical systems. This Adelphi Paper examines the national strategies designed to cope with the emerging societal vulnerabilities and offers appropriate roles for both public and private sectors.

Chapter 6: Protecting Infrastructures in the US and the UK

Advances in information technologies and their adoption in all sectors of modern life are not problem-free. This study examines the negative impact of those technologies on the central infrastructure systems on which societies depend for the delivery of essential services such as communication, electric power, transportation, and on the information systems that enable governments to function and economic enterprise to flourish. The underlying technologies of networked computer hardware and software are susceptible to massive failure. But unlike physical networks that can be engineered to be robust against natural events, random failures and even local sabotage, information systems are particularly susceptible to malicious acts. Attacks can exploit the connections that are a major virtue and failures in one part can propagate widely. This global character of information system vulnerabilities constitutes severe challenges to both national governments and the private owners of such critical systems. This Adelphi Paper examines the national strategies designed to cope with the emerging societal vulnerabilities and offers appropriate roles for both public and private sectors.

Chapter 7: The Broader Applicability of the Strategic Framework

Advances in information technologies and their adoption in all sectors of modern life are not problem-free. This study examines the negative impact of those technologies on the central infrastructure systems on which societies depend for the delivery of essential services such as communication, electric power, transportation, and on the information systems that enable governments to function and economic enterprise to flourish. The underlying technologies of networked computer hardware and software are susceptible to massive failure. But unlike physical networks that can be engineered to be robust against natural events, random failures and even local sabotage, information systems are particularly susceptible to malicious acts. Attacks can exploit the connections that are a major virtue and failures in one part can propagate widely. This global character of information system vulnerabilities constitutes severe challenges to both national governments and the private owners of such critical systems. This Adelphi Paper examines the national strategies designed to cope with the emerging societal vulnerabilities and offers appropriate roles for both public and private sectors.