Cyber‐security, cyber‐attack, and the development of governmental response: the librarian's view

This article presents an overview of the historical development of information security policies promulgated by a variety of governments and agencies. After a brief history of the development of government technology policy in the electronic age, and a review of the possible cyber‐security threats to today's military and civilian populations, policy documents from the organization for economic co‐operation and development, the European Union, and the USA are described and compared. Analysis of the policy documents shows some similarities in the manner by which national and supra‐national political agencies are reacting to the threat of cyber‐attack. The paper alerts the library community to possible compromise in the systems with which we work, and provides some understanding of the process by which the government is reacting to threats. It concludes by encouraging the librarian to become more actively involved and informed concerning the development of government policies in this area.