Sophisticated computer networks now control many of the critical infrastructures we rely on– electricity, water, air traffic control systems and more – with vast amounts of information stored on widely distributed computers and shared across public and private networks. The skyrocketing dependences on highly linked and composite key infrastructures have led to their critical role in ensuring national security and economic stability.

The impact of cyber attacks ranges from the compromise of sensitive information to the disruption of critical government or infrastructure operations. Unfortunately, it takes only one adverse cyber event to threaten an entire ecosystem.

According to IBM X-Force research, new computer vulnerabilities increased by 36 percent in the first half of 2010. Each vulnerability, if not addressed, could lead to an implicit or explicit failure of the confidentiality, integrity, or availability of an information system. Vulnerabilities exist both internally and externally, and their exploitation can be inadvertent or deliberate. Without proper controls and vigilance, cyber criminals can gain direct access to systems and information which can put organizations and society as a whole at risk.