Cybersecurity differences around the world

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Magda On Cyber

9 min readJan 9, 2023

Spotlight: The World’s Countries in Response to Cyber Threats

Despite growing defence efforts and spending, the frequency and sophistication of cyber attacks show no sign of slowing down.

As the capabilities of the cyber attackers continue to grow, it remains to be seen whether “the best defence is a good offense” or “the best offense is a good defence”.

In this article, I place the spotlight on several countries and flesh out their response to the growing cyber threat landscape.

AUSTRALIA

In last year alone, Australia suffered two crippling cyber attacks — one on their telecommunication giant Optus, and a second on insurance titan Medibank — which saw the personal data of some 14 million customers being compromised. It is ranked among the top 10 countries most affected by ransomware attacks according to Bitdefender’s latest report and Flashpoint’s Insider Threat Quickview.

Based on this information, you might be hard-pressed to believe that Australia actually climbed 5 ranks to secure its spot among the top 5 cyber powers in the world in 2022. But it did, according to the researchers behind the National Cyber Power Index (NCPI).

*Source: NCPI 2022: Top 10 Most Comprehensive Cyber Powers*

In fact, Australia was awarded the second-best cyber defence score, coming in just after USA. The local government certainly seems committed to — in the words of Australia’s Cybersecurity Minister, Clare O’Neil — “punching back” cybercrime, placing high premiums on businesses that are found to be in violation of data privacy and protection laws.

Australia has made significant progress in terms of cybersecurity maturity in recent years. The government has implemented a range of initiatives and programs to strengthen the country’s cyber defenses, including the establishment of a cybersecurity strategy and the development of a national cyber security plan. Additionally, various agencies and organizations within the country, such as the Australian Cyber Security Centre (ACSC), are actively working to educate the public and businesses on how to protect themselves against cyber threats.

In recent times, the federal government has even proposed to outlaw ransom payments to cyber criminals, the mere suggestion of which indicates a marked shift in attitudes.

While there is still room for improvement, overall, Australia has demonstrated a strong commitment to improving its cybersecurity posture.

USA

The United States has a well-developed cybersecurity infrastructure and has been a leader in the field for many years. The country has a number of agencies and organizations dedicated to protecting against cyber threats, including the Department of Homeland Security and the National Cybersecurity and Communications Integration Center. The government has also implemented a range of initiatives and programs to improve the country’s cybersecurity posture, such as the development of a national cybersecurity strategy and the establishment of a cyber deterrence policy.

On the other hand, the United States has a number of laws and regulations in place to protect the privacy of its citizens. These laws, such as the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) and the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA), are designed to safeguard personal information and prevent it from being misused or accessed without permission. While these privacy laws are important for protecting individuals’ personal information, they also have a significant impact on cybersecurity. For example, HIPAA requires healthcare organizations to implement certain safeguards to protect the confidentiality of patient information, which helps to prevent cyber attacks that could expose sensitive data. In general, the privacy laws in the United States play a crucial role in helping to ensure the security of personal information and reduce the risk of cyber attacks.

However, despite its advanced cybersecurity capabilities, the United States still faces significant cyber threats. The country has been the target of numerous high-profile cyber attacks in recent years, and the threat landscape is constantly evolving. To stay ahead of these threats, the United States must continue to invest in and strengthen its cybersecurity measures. This includes not only the development of new technologies and strategies, but also the education and training of both the public and private sectors on how to effectively protect against cyber threats.

CHINA

Although USA has remained the leader when it comes to overall cyber capabilities, China is rapidly gaining on it.

China has made significant progress in terms of cybersecurity in recent years, and has invested heavily in building up its cyber defense capabilities. The country has established a number of agencies and organizations dedicated to addressing cybersecurity issues, including the Cyberspace Administration of China (CAC) and the National Computer Network Emergency Response Technical Team/Coordination Center of China (CN-CERT). Additionally, the government has implemented a range of initiatives and policies to improve the country’s cybersecurity posture, such as the Cyber Security Law of the People’s Republic of China. However, despite these efforts, China still faces a number of significant cyber threats, including both domestic and international attacks. To continue to improve its cybersecurity maturity, China must continue to invest in and strengthen its cyber defense capabilities.

POLAND

Poland has made significant progress in terms of cybersecurity maturity in recent years. The country has a number of agencies and organizations dedicated to addressing cyber threats, such as the Computer Emergency Response Team (CERT) and the National Cybersecurity System (NCSS). The government has also implemented a range of initiatives and policies to improve Poland’s cybersecurity posture, including the establishment of a national cybersecurity strategy and the development of a cybercrime prevention program.

In terms of privacy, Poland has strong privacy laws in place to protect the personal information of its citizens. These laws, such as the Personal Data Protection Act of August 29, 1997 (UODO), are designed to safeguard personal information and prevent it from being misused or accessed without permission. Additionally, the country is a member of the European Union (EU), which has some of the most stringent privacy laws in the world. Overall, Poland has demonstrated a strong commitment to both cybersecurity and privacy, and has made significant progress in these areas.

TURKEY

Turkey has made some progress in terms of cybersecurity maturity in recent years, but there is still room for improvement. The country has a number of agencies and organizations dedicated to addressing cyber threats, such as the Information and Communication Technologies Authority (ICTA) and the Cyber Security Coordination Center (CSCC). The government has also implemented a range of initiatives and policies to improve Turkey’s cybersecurity posture, including the establishment of a national cybersecurity strategy and the development of a cybercrime prevention program.

In terms of privacy, Turkey has a number of laws and regulations in place to protect the personal information of its citizens. These include the Law on the Protection of Personal Data (LPPD) and the Electronic Communications Law (ECL). However, there have been some concerns raised about the government’s surveillance powers and the potential for the abuse of personal information. To continue to improve its cybersecurity and privacy posture, Turkey must strengthen its laws and regulations in these areas and ensure that they are effectively enforced.

SAUDI ARABIA

Saudi Arabia has made significant progress in terms of cybersecurity maturity in recent years. The country has a number of agencies and organizations dedicated to addressing cyber threats, such as the National Cyber Security Center (NCSC) and the Computer Emergency Response Team (CERT). The government has also implemented a range of initiatives and policies to improve Saudi Arabia’s cybersecurity posture, including the establishment of a national cybersecurity strategy and the development of a cybercrime prevention program.

In terms of privacy, Saudi Arabia has a number of laws and regulations in place to protect the personal information of its citizens. These include the Cybercrime Law and the Personal Data Protection Law. However, there have been some concerns raised about the government’s surveillance powers and the potential for the abuse of personal information. To continue to improve its cybersecurity and privacy posture, Saudi Arabia must strengthen its laws and regulations in these areas and ensure that they are effectively enforced.

UNITED KINGDOM

Amidst all the turmoil, UK has managed to fly under the radar despite facing its fair share of cyber attacks. Perhaps this is by virtue of its substantial efforts in cybersecurity, courtesy of strong investments from established global cyber companies such as Sophos, BT and Titania.

*Source:* *https://therecord.media/countries-are-increasing-their-cyber-response-budgets-but-spending-still-varies-widely/*

Or perhaps it is because the efforts of UK’s National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) are bearing fruit — it is said that their Active Cyber Defence (ACD) program has reduced the average time a phishing site is online from 27 hours to 1 hour.

SINGAPORE

The Singapore government appears to be taking a page out of UK’s book. Just this year, the Cybersecurity Security Agency of Singapore introduced a cybersecurity certification scheme named Cyber Essentials mark (not to be confused with the UK’s Cyber Essentials scheme) to recognise organisations with good cybersecurity practices while the Personal Data Protection Commission has raised the financial penalty cap which may be imposed on organisations for breaches under the Personal Data Protection Act. Evidently, regulation will continue to be a key lever in strengthening digital infrastructure security and resilience, as outlined in the Singapore Cybersecurity Strategy 2021.

Singapore has a highly advanced cybersecurity posture and is considered a leader in the field. The country has a number of agencies and organizations dedicated to addressing cyber threats, such as the Cyber Security Agency of Singapore (CSA) and the Ministry of Communications and Information (MCI). The government has also implemented a range of initiatives and policies to improve Singapore’s cybersecurity posture, including the establishment of a national cybersecurity strategy and the development of a cybercrime prevention program.

In terms of privacy, Singapore has strong privacy laws in place to protect the personal information of its citizens. These laws, such as the Personal Data Protection Act (PDPA), are designed to safeguard personal information and prevent it from being misused or accessed without permission. Additionally, the government has established a number of initiatives and programs to educate the public and businesses on how to protect their personal information and prevent data breaches. Overall, Singapore has demonstrated a strong commitment to both cybersecurity and privacy, and has made significant progress in these areas.

Interestingly, the small island nation has a cyber response budget that is sizeable enough to make it the third largest spender on cybersecurity, just after UK (see above).

JAPAN

Japan has a well-developed cybersecurity infrastructure and has made significant progress in terms of cybersecurity maturity in recent years. The country has a number of agencies and organizations dedicated to addressing cyber threats, such as the National Institute of Information and Communications Technology (NICT) and the Cyber Security Strategy Office (CSSO). The government has also implemented a range of initiatives and policies to improve Japan’s cybersecurity posture, including the establishment of a national cybersecurity strategy and the development of a cybercrime prevention program.

In terms of privacy, Japan has strong privacy laws in place to protect the personal information of its citizens. These laws, such as the Act on the Protection of Personal Information (APPI), are designed to safeguard personal information and prevent it from being misused or accessed without permission. Additionally, the government has established a number of initiatives and programs to educate the public and businesses on how to protect their personal information and prevent data breaches. Overall, Japan has demonstrated a strong commitment to both cybersecurity and privacy, and has made significant progress in these areas.

AFTERWORD

The purpose of this article is not to point out who does cybersecurity best because the rankings are not what is important. Despite the vastly different approaches, the goal is the same — security; To ensure the security of your livelihood in these turbulent times and in the foreseeable future, it is imperative that government bodies work with businesses and individuals to continually spread greater awareness of the threats that we face so we may take collective action to prevent an all-out cyber war.

I had the pleasure to address this topic at the ADVANCED THREAT SUMMIT in Warsaw, in 2022. Check it out.