Political borders don't stop cyberattacks, but they prevent defense, study finds

Cyberspace is a global commons without international boundaries, but the political divisions of the real world hamper the defense of this shared resource, according to a new study of government and private sector IT officials.

There is a lack of common standards of behavior, goals and even language in discussing the challenges faced in cyberspace, according to the Cyber Defense Report released Jan. 30 by McAfee. As a result, threats are growing faster than the ability to counter them because of barriers to information sharing and cooperation that do not constrain our adversaries. “We are really up against a formidable enemy that can execute,” said Phyllis Schneck, chief technology officer of McAfee’s Global Public Sector and a contributor to the report. “We’ve made a lot of progress, but our enemies are a lot better and faster than we are.”