The Rise of State-Sponsored Cyber-attacks

The Case for International Cooperation in Strengthening Defence Systems

Abstract

The recent years have seen an increase in state-sponsored acts of cyberattacks that are becoming increasingly sophisticated. These attacks mainly target the nation’s critical infrastructure, such as communication systems, electricity generation and distribution systems, transportation systems, health support systems, and financial services, whose collapse and unavailability can lead to partial or total collapse with huge reputation, economic, security, and political implications. As organizations and nations grapple with the challenges posed by increasingly sophisticated cyber threats, it is imperative to examine how current cybersecurity strategies are responding to them and if these responses are adequate. Failure to address these challenges portends exposing critical infrastructure, sensitive data, and national security interests to unprecedented levels of danger and disruption. This study therefore seeks to analyze the rise of state-sponsored cyberattacks, and its significance lies in assessing how nations can enhance these capabilities, foster international cooperation and collaboration, and strengthen cyber resilience and incident response preparedness. The study has adopted a mixed-methods research design to triangulate data from various documented sources and provide a comprehensive understanding of state-sponsored cyber threats and cybersecurity strategies. It also provides recommendations such as robust governance structures, increasing investments, strengthening partnerships with allies and international organizations, information sharing and analysis centers, integrating robust incident response, development and training programmes, continuous monitoring and evaluation, and eventually further research to be done.