Along with a more noticeable entry of high technologies in our daily lives, cyber security also plays a significant role in which this society supposedly did not even care to think about in the recent past. This term is defined as a set of processes, best practices and technological solutions which helps in protecting the critical systems and network against digital attacks.[40]
As technologies develop, skills are improved not only by the specialists working in this field, but also by the actors in the shadows – malicious access to resources, data theft, sabotage, reputational damage and global scale money extortion has unfortunately become a daily phenomenon.
However, the main concern is that malicious persons could access networks of national importance, defence systems, databases, misappropriate funds, obtain data without authorisation and use it for harmful purposes, or distribute seditious information on behalf of other persons, including the media.
Cyber attack may take place not only as hacking of active virtual data storage, installation of malware and information theft. According to the recently published data, cyber security threats can also be caused by a usual application widely used on a daily basis, with the option of exploitation as a virtual tool to hack into data storages of other individuals and entities.
Under the circumstances of a dramatically growing number of cyber attacks, the security of cyber space in each country is monitored by designated institutions, while information on the security of cyber space is summarised in the National Cyber Security Index or NCSI which determines both the index of the relevant country and the digital development level.[41]
Information included in this index shows that, among the countries in question, the highest indicator is demonstrated by Lithuania which, with an index of 93.51, the digital development level (DDL) 67.37 and the difference between those two indicators +26.17 (which shows that the cyber security index is higher than the DDL), takes third position in this rating. Estonia is one step lower with an identical index and the DDL evaluated at 77.39, therefore the difference between those indicators is 17.92.
Poland takes the tenth position with NCSI 87.01, DDL 65.03 and difference +21.98. Latvia ranks number. 25 in this rating (NCSI 75.32, DDL 66.23, difference +9.09), whereas, Moldova can be found in the 75th position – NCSI 50.65, DDL 56.79, but with a difference of -6.14, which shows that digital development level nationwide is higher than the cyber space security indicator.
[40] https://www.microsoft.com/lv-lv/security/business/security-101/what-is-cybersecurity
[41] https://ncsi.ega.ee/ncsi-index/?type=c
