HOMELAND SECURITY
National Security Strategy highlights cybersecurity as a core national security issue A recently published Fortinet whitepaper echoes New Zealand’s new National Security Strategy’s concerns around the growing threat from malicious cyber activities.
Launched in last month, Aotearoa New Zealand’s first ever national security strategy breaks new ground in articulating a vision for navigating a dynamic security environment and the national security threats we face. “The cyber domain is increasingly a theatre for strategic competition and profit, states Secure Together Tō Tātou Korowai Manaaki: New Zealand’s National Security Strategy 2023-2028. “The likelihood and disruptive impacts of malicious cyber activities impacting information systems, telecommunication networks, and information technology infrastructures is growing.”
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Cyber security means protecting people and their computers, networks, programs, and data from unauthorised access, disruption, exploitation, or modification, states the Strategy. “Malicious cyber actors, including state and non-state actors, present a persistent threat to all New Zealanders as well as New Zealand organisations, businesses, and government.” “Beyond the risk of cyberattacks by nation states, organised crime and even lone cyber hackers have the intent and capacity to threaten businesses and individuals,” write Glenn Maiden and Nicole Quinn, authors of Fortinet’s Government
and Industry: Partnering on Cybersecurity to Strengthen Data Security whitepaper. “The security message is clear: whatever their origin, cyber threats present substantial new risks to individuals, businesses, governments, and nations,” they state. “Developing stronger security against such threats is an essential requirement.” National Security Threat In addition to being listed as one of the twelve “core national security issues” identified in the National Security Strategy, cybersecurity plays a critical role across almost all of them. The four core issues of
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