Page 106 - Cyber Defense eMagazine September 2023

A more sustainable, durable, and long-term solution is to invest in strengthening our cyber resilience and
capability to recover at all levels. This strategic approach can be achieved by creating more redundancy
in our infrastructure. We will affect the adversary's incentive to attack as they realize that their efforts
would have no effect. This course of action would significantly reduce the motivations for unauthorized
access to the cyber and information space against government institutions. It implies an increased
financial burden but addresses the root causes of the problem – the adversary's willingness to attack.
Therefore, the benefits will outweigh the potential losses.

The spectrum of cyber threats will continue to widen in the foreseeable future, and more and more
government institutions will likely become victims of successful cyber-attacks. As Robert Mueller, FBI
Director, 2012 puts it, "There are only two types of companies: those that have been hacked, and those
that will be." Therefore, we need to harden our government networks' security at all levels by investing in
human skills and more secure infrastructure as well as to adopt a more long-term approach by increasing
our cyber resilience against these threats and becoming better prepared.

About the Author

Georgi Atanasov, staff officer in Bulgarian MoD.

He is a graduate of Varna Naval Academy, currently serving as a senior
subject matter expert in strategic defense planning, Bulgarian MoD. Georgi
is expert in effective use of cyberspace for strategic advantage and national
security. Has a significant strategic-level experience in NATO and the EU
defense related projects. He is Certified CCNA Security and holds a master
degree from the College of information and cyber space, National Defense
University in Washington, USA. Georgi can be reached online at LinkedIn:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/georgi-atanasov-99329668

Cyber Defense eMagazine – September 2023 Edition 106
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