Number: RL32777
Title: Creating a National Framework for Cybersecurity: An Analysis of Issues and Options
Authors: Eric A. Fischer, Resources, Science, and Industry Division 
Abstract: Even before the terrorist attacks of September 2001, concerns had been rising among security experts about the vulnerabilities to attack of computer systems and associated infrastructure. There were several reasons for those rising concerns. First, computer systems were becoming increasingly powerful and increasingly interconnected, with many enterprises in the public and private sectors coming to rely on them for fundamental business functions. Second, the size and reach of the Internet was growing dramatically. Not only were more and more businesses and households in the United States using the Internet, but the same phenomenon was happening worldwide. Third, the number and sophistication of attacks by criminals and vandals was growing, and many experts thought that terrorists and other adversaries were preparing to launch attacks on computer systems via the Internet or other means. Those trends have generally continued over the last several years.
Pages: 57
Date: February 22, 2005