(101 Series) Cybersecurity, a History: From Undefined Term to Critical Global Issue
In today’s digital age, cybersecurity has become essential for safeguarding data, infrastructure, and online interactions. However, its meaning is often misunderstood. In this article, we at The Wireless Cable navigate the cybersecurity waters and trace its evolution from a technical concept to a key issue in global politics. We’ll review its historical development, explore its role in international relations, and examine how it has become central to discussions on national security, privacy, and the global economy.
Where Does the Term "Cyber" Come From?
"Cyber" originates from the Greek word kybernan, meaning "to steer" or "to govern". The term gained prominence in the 1940s in the field of cybernetics, focusing on communication and control systems. Science fiction author William Gibson popularized "cyberspace" in his 1982 short story “Burning Chrome,” associating the prefix with the digital world. But today, the term lacks a single, agreed-upon definition. Initially linked to the internet, cyberspace now broadly encompasses digital networks, users, data, computers, and infrastructure.
For that reason, people in the field of cyber security try to not utilize “cyberspace”. There is a hope that by not addressing something so vague, the word will become obsolete. Here at TWC we think the term “cyberspace” is mostly used by news headliners trying to make waves on a topic or by people who mock where their (unsent) text message went when responding to a friend or colleague.
Despite the term’s declining use, all “cyber”-related concepts (cyber warfare, cyber-attack, cyber power, cybersecurity, et.al. –note that some are written with a space, a hyphen or altogether: style preference) stem from this confusion.
Cybersecurity: Protecting the Digital Frontier
It must be explained that cyber security is a Western term that is biased with an American perspective. This lens focuses more on national security and military concerns.
As a term that was taking form during the Cold War, a time where divisions emerged between the U.S. and the Eastern bloc, the latter emphasized Information Technology in lieu of cyberspace, and information security instead of cybersecurity. And because the UN Disarmament Committee has heavy Russian influence, the language it and the UN use to refer to this is the protection of Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs).
In Europe, a mix of terms like "Cyber Security" and "Network and Information Security" are used. The OECD, since 1992, has tried to harmonize approaches to information-systems and network security, recognizing the importance of global collaboration. It’s use in Europe is still mixed.
And thus, something of an opposite occurs here, in relation to the term kybernan. Cyber Security/IT Security has different approaches to explain the same thing. There is no Babel-like confusion in discussions, this is clear.
The International Telecommunication Union (ITU) provides THE definition of cybersecurity, encompassing tools, policies, and best practices used to protect organizations' assets in the cyber environment. This includes connected devices, infrastructure, and data, aiming to maintain availability, integrity, confidentiality, resilience, and incident prevention (ITU’s recommendation X.1205):
The collection of tools, policies, laws, regulations, security concepts, security safeguards, guidelines, risk management approaches, actions, training, best practices and technologies that can be used to protect the cyberenvironment and organization and user’s assets.
Organization and user’s assets include connected computing devices, personnel, infrastructure, applications, services, telecommunications systems and the totality of transmitted and/or stored information in the cyberenvironment.
Cybersecurity strives to ensure the establishment and maintenance of the security properties of the organization and user’s assets against relevant security risks in the cyberenvironment. The general security objectives comprise the following: • Availability • Integrity, which may include authenticity and non-repudiation • Confidentiality • Resilience • Incident prevention
At its core, cybersecurity then involves protecting networks, systems, and data from unauthorized access, exploitation, or attack. In a securitized way, it is the multi-faceted field that took over cyber space! It spans everything from Cyber Attacks and cybercrime to cyber-espionage and the protection of sensitive personal information.
Cybersecurity’s Intersection with Politics and International Relations
Cyber Security does not exist in a vacuum, and while within it the areas of engineering, law and IT technical hold abundant knowledge (and make it work), it affects more outside of it. Cybersecurity covers a broad spectrum, from protecting personal information, like social security numbers and bank accounts, to safeguarding intellectual property, health records, and even nuclear codes.
The struggle to regulate privacy and data protection is ongoing, with international governance and norms slowly emerging. As states recognize cybersecurity as a domain of control, the regulatory debate has widened to include everything from personal data protection to national security concerns.
It has not been easy to regulate the protection of privacy and data of everyone everywhere. And so, as we wrap up this exploration of cybersecurity, it's essential to highlight the ongoing struggle over the control over information, internet governance, and cyberwarfare.
Governance, Regulation, and Cybersecurity: The Future of Control
Controlling how data and communication online has become a central issue. In recent years, governments have recognized that cybersecurity is about more than protecting data; it’s about controlling the infrastructure and platforms through which information travels.
Social media regulation has been a key battleground in this debate. Governments worldwide are attempting to regulate platforms like Facebook, X (formally Twitter), and TikTok—not only for their impact on data privacy but also for how they can be used to spread misinformation, incite violence, or interfere with national elections. Countries such as India and Turkey have passed stringent laws requiring social media platforms to moderate content or face heavy penalties. Meanwhile, in the U.S. and Europe, there are ongoing debates about how to balance free speech with the need to control the spread of harmful content. As part of cybersecurity policy, some states see regulating social media as essential to protecting citizens from data misuse and ensuring the integrity of democratic processes.
On an international level, efforts to regulate content mirror global movements to establish cybersecurity norms. The Budapest Convention on Cybercrime (2001) laid the groundwork for cross-border cooperation, while the UN Group of Governmental Experts (GGE) has been working to develop norms for responsible state behavior in cyberspace.
In August 2024, the UN Ad Hoc Committee agreed on the Draft UN Convention against Cybercrime, which aims to strengthen international cooperation, enhance law enforcement, and improve the sharing of electronic evidence in serious crimes. The treaty has been submitted for formal adoption by the UN General Assembly. While the treaty offers new tools to combat cybercrime, concerns remain—especially in Europe—about its potential to weaken privacy protections and encryption.
The Geopolitical Context of Cybersecurity
But while countries push for greater regulation, they are also engaged in cyber warfare against one another. Russia’s alleged interference in the 2016 U.S. elections via cyber operations is a clear example of how cyberattacks are being used as tools of influence. Meanwhile, China’s alleged state-sponsored cyber espionage has led to the theft of intellectual property from corporations around the world, escalating geopolitical tensions. Even Israel’s sabotage of Iranian nuclear facilities through the Stuxnet attack serves as a reminder of how deeply cybersecurity has penetrated the realm of international conflict. And even taking a step further, Israel’s Alleged Role in Lebanon’s Pager and Walkie-Talkie Explosions, which reveals how cybersecurity vulnerabilities in global supply chains are increasingly blurring the lines between digital sabotage and kinetic warfare.
In this context, cybersecurity is no longer just a technical issue—it’s a tool of statecraft. As governments regulate social media to protect data and attempt to create norms for cyberspace governance, they also engage in cyber skirmishes that reshape global power dynamics.
This is the intersection of cybersecurity and international relations, and that’s what we’re here to discuss at The Wireless Cable, as we said, one post at a time. As states seek to control both the flow of data within their borders and their geopolitical standing, they’re increasingly using the digital realm as a domain of conflict and cooperation. Cybersecurity is more than protecting networks—it’s about protecting power.
