What is Cybersecurity?
Abstract
Cybersecurity can be considered “good health care” for local governments and society at large. In fact, the term “cyber-hygiene” has been applied to the implementation of routine cybersecurity measures. This chapter begins with a brief description of cybersecurity, followed by a definition of the term itself. Next, it discusses the three “dimensions” of cybersecurity or the “cybersecurity cube.” These include the three principles of information security; the three states of data; and the three safeguards of cybersecurity. The chapter also introduces the five functions of cybersecurity as laid out by the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) Cybersecurity Framework. These functions are: Identify, Protect, Detect, Respond, and Recover, and they work together in a continuous cycle with each function reinforcing the other. Finally, the chapter concludes with a brief history of the origin of the internet and e-government.