Information and Communication Technology (ICT)and cyber threats: the main fields of analysis

Abstract

The goal of my thesis is to demonstrate the importance of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) in the Twenty-First Century as, if on one hand it is at the basis of the functioning of societies, on the other hand it represents a source of threat, in particular cyber threats, to the security of societies, it changes the nature of conflicts which are fought in a new domain of war called cyberspace and consequently the strategies of response given by states in order to provide security to their citizens and territories have to change too, focusing on international cooperation and public-private partnership. In the first chapter an overview of the cyber issue is given, focusing on the concept of cyberspace, cyber threats, the USA and China’s visions about the cyber issue and the concept of national security and resilience in relation to the new threats. In the second chapter an analysis of the most important cyber attacks against physical objectives and computer systems is made. In the third chapter the European Union legislative landscape in the cybersecurity field is analyzed since its inception in 2000 until the development of the EU cybersecurity strategy in 2013. Finally, in chapter four the Italian legislative approach to cybersecurity is analyzed, starting from the nineties until the establishment of the National cybersecurity strategy in 2014.