Defining Cyberspace

Before getting into the nitty-gritty details of cyberspace and cyber-securty, a proper definition is require of what cyberspace is.

cyberspace is defined as a domain characterized by the use of electronics and the electromagnetic spectrum to store, modify, and exchange data via networked systems and associated physical infrastructures. According to this definition, cyberspace is a very real, physical domain that is comprised of electronics and networked systems that use electromagnetic energy.

Cyberspace exists across the other domains of air, land, sea, and space and connects these physical domains with the cognitive processes that use the data that is stored, modified, or exchanged. Cyberspace is therefore distinct from the information that may be resident in or transferred through the domain. Using this understanding of cyberspace, the following sections discuss misperceptions about the boundaries of the domain and operations conducted in the domain.