Cyber terrorism and the collective responsibility of states to secure the global information society

The increasing interconnectedness of countries and national critical infrastructures in today's global network society has ushered the world into what has been aptly described as “an age of interdependence where each nation's security is also dependent on the actions of the other nations of the world”[1]. This state of affairs emphasizes the need for the collective responsibility of states for global cybersecurity. This paper examines some strategies towards enhancing the collective responsibility of states to address the challenge of cyber terrorism. It particularly suggests the need for a state to be held accountable where its failure to establish regulatory measures to deter or prosecute cybercrimes or cyber terrorism within it territories has allowed the perpetration of such acts that produced trans-boundary effects in other states.