In the 21st century, activities in cyberspace rose and developed significantly. New security dynamics aftermath of the Cold War have led to a shift in the world's power structures. Non-state actors (corporations, organizations, and individuals) now can reflect strategic global power due to modern information and communication technologies. Collective defense in cyberspace might be more challenging considering the nature of the virtual dimension which accomplishes two factors. They pledge the signatories to resist a shared threat, and as a result, are designed to dissuade possible aggressors. They stand at the nexus of law and strategy, as well as the junction of war and peace because of their dual objectives. But with hybrid threats on the rise, some have begun to wonder if the mutual aid provisions established in the North Atlantic and EU treaties still apply in the context of the current security situation.
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Today information is everywhere. Communication, knowledge acquisition, intelligence gathering, and persuasion all include the use of information. In the end, it can be weaponized to sway a certain audience's perceptions and choices (Pijpers and Arnold, 2020).
Even though cyberspace is becoming more crucial for national security plans, the phrase has yet to be given a widely agreed definition. However, we can highlight a range of definitions provided by various actors, including Germany, the USA, the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), and the Tallinn Manual due to their major role and central position in information and communication technologies. Considering its significant role and strategic location within the EU, Germany provided the following definition of cyberspace as ”…the virtual area of all information technology systems in the world which are or could be interconnected at data level” (Federal Ministry of the Interior, Building, and Community 2021, p.125).
According to the US National Institute of Standards and Technologies cyberspace stands for “the interdependent network of information systems infrastructures including the Internet, telecommunications networks, computer systems, and embedded processors and controllers” (NIST 2012, p. B-3).
Moreover, the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) an agency of the United Nations, mentions the following elements, specifically the software that runs on computing devices, the transferred and stored data, as well as the information produced by these devices, are all included in the cyber environment. Such factors must be taken into account while discussing cybersecurity (ITU 2008).