Cybersecurity Convergence: Digital Human and National Security

Over the past decade, people everywhere have become as dependent on the virtual world for their daily activities as they are dependent on the physical world for human activities. Global fiber optic networks have enabled communication in an unprecedented manner, connecting people in unique ways, propelling global supply chains, and giving consumers access to a variety of data from around the world. The online world is threatened by interstate rivals that engage in influence operations, economic espionage, and intelligence gathering and criminal groups that steal identities, ransom data, and grow their enterprises. Insiders facilitate intrusions wittingly and unwittingly raising the importance of corporations’ roles in cybersecurity. This convergence between the virtual and physical worlds with the government and the corporate upends the entire frame of reference for national security, which is tilted toward physical attack and strict jurisdictional lines. As cybersecurity integrates further into U.S. national security, a new approach is needed to incorporate a human security construct at the user level. This article is adapted from their forthcoming book, Security in the Cyber Age from Georgetown University Press. The views expressed are their own.