A research paper published by the International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS) classified the United States of America as the only top-tier cyber-power nation in the world. 

The British research institute evaluated the cyber proficiency of 15 countries over a span of two years before dividing each country into tiers by their global state cyber-capacity. 

In order to accurately determine the cyber-power of each country in question, the IISS surveyed a variety of cyber capabilities such as the country’s core cyber-intelligence capability, their cybersecurity performance, the strength of the country’s digital economy, and how effectively the government was able to integrate their cyber facilities with their military.  

Although recent cyberattacks were carried out on essential organizations such as the ones witnessed on Colonial Pipeline and JBS, the United States of America was the only country which the IISS felt could be appropriately categorized as a top tier cyber-power nation.   

In a statement, the IISS emphasized that the United States has had to defend itself from more cyberattacks than any other country in the world despite which they strive to improve upon their cybersecurity and acknowledge that certain weaknesses are still present which are being worked on despite the odds.  

Researchers have noted that the United States possesses offensive cyber capabilities, which are far more developed than all the other countries in the world. It is even said that these capabilities have not even been shown off at their true potential yet.

After the top tier, which is also the first tier, there comes the second tier on the list, which comprises major nations like Canada, the United Kingdom, Australia, and New Zealand. These four nations combined with the United States make up the Five Eyes (FVEY) intelligence alliance. 

Also amongst these nations in the second tier are France, Russia, and the People’s Republic of China. The third tier consists of Asian nations Japan, India, Malaysia, North Korea, Iran, and Vietnam.  

The final portion of the report talked about how despite China having the second-largest economy in the world, it remains a victim of poor security and weak intelligence analysis in respect to cyber-power. 

In a bold prediction, the IISS stated that it would not be until at least ten more years that the People’s Republic of China would be able to challenge the United States in terms of cyber-prowess.

The IISS discovered that even though Russia and China had carried out complex cyber-offensives, both of these countries still had flaws in their cybersecurity which prevented them from being alongside the United States in the top tier.