Abstract:

In this article we present an approach to the problem of security in cyberspace from a sociocultural perspective. We begin by characterizing the new space through a stratified model that gives relevance to people as agents who use and give meaning to the technological infrastructure. We show how the expansion of cyberspace has generated in parallel an increase in cybercrime, in its different forms ‒cybercrime, cyber terrorism, cyber war, among others. Without ignoring the importance of the underlying technology, we focus on the role of the human factor by analysing the main cyber threats to which we are exposed and the actors involved. Finally, we point out how the rapid advance of cyberspace in scope and depth will provide astonishing solutions to certain human needs, but at the same time will increase our vulnerability by opening up a high-risk scenario that society will have to face in order to establish the necessary trust to guarantee security and the freedom of people in the new environment. In this scenario, the social sciences have an essential role to play since the problems that concern our security and our rights cannot be addressed as a merely technical question.

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