China: Ruler of the Cyber World

When I was still in high school, our ROTC Commandant loves to crack jokes about the state of the Armed Forces of the Philippines. Our troops are behind in everything; our fighter planes came from donations, our rifles also came from donations, and our troops are underpaid, thus the low morale. If war comes, the Philippines will be instantly crushed without the help of big brother US.

One of his famous joke pertains to China, and how powerful this country is. Even without weapons, Chinese Troops, with their massive population count, can invade the Philippines. Once inside Philippine soil, they can all jump at the same time, a coordinated attack, and the Philippine Islands will shake and crumble. Its a lame joke pertaining to the massive population of China compared to the Philippines, but you have to read between the lines to be able to understand what the joke really means. China is a powerhouse, and 14 years have passed since I heard that joke and China still continues to become a powerhouse.

Currently, China is the King of the Cyber World.

Not even the powerful United States of America, a global police, can keep up with China's advances on offensive, defensive, and reconnaissance tactics inside the Cyber World. It is a well-known fact that on any given day, China can launch a coordinated attack on strategic computer networks in North America and the rest of the world. Numerous coordinated attacks have been already documented in the past, we are all just waiting for the next big one.

So what can we do to check this kind of power and balance things out?

Simple. United States and the rest of the world should start implementing a comprehensive Government-backed "Nation Cyber Security Plan". As early as high school, students should be introduced to the role of individuals in helping secure computer networks.

A Cyber-Security aware student is equivalent to a troop of soldiers in the field. The soldiers on the field are only limited to how many bullets they have with them, a Cyber Security student can plan strategies, deploy logistics and accomplish remote methods of attack. A Cyber Security student can even defend and penetrate enemy networks and cripple enemy communication lines and logistics before everything escalates.

I still have faith in China though. They will be just on the defensive most of the time. They will not use this major advantage to launch something major against US and the rest of the world.

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