Currently, the US is the leading cyberspace power, but China is also closing in quickly and will be a tough rival to the US in the military and civil sector, says International Institute for Strategic Studies, a Britain-based research organization. The other countries are still in the early process to come on foot with the cyberspace implications, according to the experts at IISS. In the present scenario, a feeling of inadequacy and crisis is evident in political circles, where private players can be seen bragging 'catch me if you can' to government organizations as they are trying to reap off high profits.
There has been rapid advancement in surveillance and intelligence technologies that are capable of compromising network capabilities and advanced computing, but still, there is a need in the government sector to build legal frameworks for the use of such technologies. "China is a second-tier cyber power but, given its growing industrial base in digital technology, it is the state best placed to join the US in the first tier," says the IISS report. At the heart of the national strategies of the US and China, and the trade war between them is competition for control over the technologies that physically underpin the future of cyberspace -- such as microchip production, computer assembly, mobile internet (such as 5G), cloud architectures, cables, and routers," the analysts said.
The primitive model of government, social organization, and corporate management are continuously struggling to adapt to the current changes, says the IISS report. The reports list 15 major countries into three groups, on the basis of their technological capabilities. The US tops the list, as expected because of 25 years of experience and investment in cybersecurity infrastructure. However, China is also closing in rapidly in technological advancements, along with France, Britain, Russia, Australia, Canada, and Israel. India has emerged as the leading country in the third group along with North Korea, Iran, and Japan.
As of now, the countries in the third group are not that eminent, but they are making quite progress in particular areas with high ambitions for building their cyber power sector.
IISS says, "Governments worldwide are too often playing catch-up against private cyberspace operators in what is poised to become a key arena for defending national interests."
