Cyber threats: taxonomy, impact, policies, and way forward

The continuous evolution and proliferation of computer technology and our increasing dependence on computer technology have created a new class of threats: "cyber threats."These threats can be defined as activities that can undermine a society's ability to maintain internal or external order while using information technology.Cyber threats can be mainly divided into two categories, namely cyber-terrorism and cyber-warfare.A variety of malware programs are often used as a primary weapon in these cyber threats.A significant amount of research work has been published covering different aspects of cyber threats, their countermeasures, and the policy-making for cyber laws.This article aims to review the research conducted in various important aspects of cyber threats and provides synthesized information regarding the fundamentals of cyber threats; discusses the countermeasures for such threats; provides relevant details of high-profile cyber-attacks; discusses the developments in global policymaking for cyber laws, and lastly presents promising future directions in this area.