The digital revolution, with its high-speed online access and wealth of mobile technologies, has transformed every aspect of modern life. Unfortunately this revolution is both used by and vulnerable to those who threaten the security of the state, the safety of the public, or who seek to commit serious and organised crime; in fact they cannot carry on their activities without it.

In the physical world it facilitates the planning and operation of the most serious crimes, from terrorism and drug trafficking to money laundering and fraud. Online, the revolution has also spawned a virulent breed of "cybercrimes", such as identity and intellectual property theft, industrial espionage and attacks on the cyber network itself.

Yet the fact that terrorists and criminals rely on these technologies means that every threat of any significance leaves a digital footprint: a trail of ones and zeroes across the internet, texts and calls, emails and instant messages, transactions and ticketing and other databases. And if the threat can be found it can be defeated. Indeed, if we fully exploit the digital revolution to recognise or even anticipate patterns of anomalous behaviour, then threats can be intercepted early and prevented.

Never before have we had such a compelling opportunity to combat the threats we face. However our current methods can never keep pace with the digital revolution. We must adopt a radical new approach, one that shifts our focus from physical security, deterrents and investigation to anomaly detection and ultimately threat anticipation and interception. To achieve this we must reprioritise how we invest and innovate.

As a specialist innovator in the areas of information exploitation and threat intelligence, Detica is now fostering a wide-ranging debate on this subject and as well as speaking at a number of events detailed below has also commissioned new research with Chatham House.

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Detica is speaking on this topic at a number of leading conferences and seminars during 2008 — find out more here.

Cyberspace and the national security of the United Kingdom

Assessing the implications of the information revolution first involves understanding the realm of 'cyberspace' and the intersection of the virtual and physical world. Detica has recently initiated a major research project with Chatham House entitled CyberSpace and the National Security of the United Kingdom. The project comprises four modules:

• Defining the threat: this will identify the central features of the cybersecurity challenge and examine innovative methodologies for threat analysis and response.
• Policy for the virtual world: this will ask how government should respond to the increasing use of virtual worlds for concrete and often malign purposes.
• International collaboration: this will assess the scope for enhanced multilateral co-operation to meet international cybersecurity challenges.
• Privacy, liberty, security and the law: this will examine the means by which an open society can balance the demands for security and surveillance on the one hand, with privacy and civil liberties on the other.

Findings from the first phase of the research: 'Defining the threat' will be available before the end of the year.