Governments as Defenders
Law enforcement is largely reactive. That is, someone commits a crime and then law enforcement swings into action. Governments can also invest in proactive cybersecurity capabilities. That is, things that can help mitigate or blunt attacks against institutions, firms, and citizens. There are at least three functions that governments provide when playing the role of defender in a cybersecurity context: public safety, national security, and military.
Public Safety
First, most major national governments have a department or ministry that is responsible for public safety. Sometimes public safety is a subset of the work a government department does. Over the past dozen years, I’ve seen more and more countries create new national cybersecurity centers that include public safety, among other things, in their charters. Examples include the National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) in the UK, the National Cyber Security Centre of Ireland (NCSC), The French National...
