Association for information systems

Chapter 2: The Cybersecurity Discipline
 
The CSEC2017 JTF defines cybersecurity as: 
A computing-based discipline involving technology, people, information, and 
processes to enable assured operations in the context of adversaries. It involves 
the creation, operation, analysis, and testing of secure computer systems. It is an 
interdisciplinary course of study, including aspects of law, policy, human factors, 
ethics, and risk management. 
Cybersecurity is a computing-based discipline involving technology, people, information, 
and processes to enable assured operations in the context of adversaries. It draws from 
the foundational fields of information security and information assurance; and began with 
more narrowly focused field of computer security.  
The need for cybersecurity arose when the first mainframe computers were developed. 
Multiple levels of security were implemented to protect these devices and the missions 
they served. The growing need to maintain national security eventually led to more 
complex and technologically sophisticated security safeguards. During the early years, 
cybersecurity as practiced, even if not specifically identified as such, was a 
straightforward process composed predominantly of physical security and document 
classification. The primary threats to security were physical theft of equipment, 
espionage against products of the systems, and sabotage. As society’s reliance on broad 
cyber infrastructure has expanded, so too has the threat environment.