3. Pillars of the National Cyber Security Strategy Considering the realities raised above, the current situation of Lebanon, and the upcoming challenges, the Government should engage all its institutions in the implementation of a comprehensive strategy capable of accomplishing the mission of providing a more secure Cyber Space and an increasing level of awareness among the main actors of the Lebanese society. The Lebanese Government is aware of the extreme dependence of the new economy on the Internet, both from public and private perspectives. In this sense, security exposure creates consistent levels of risk and will always motivate and provoke Cyber Attack attempts. The path Lebanon must take in order to accomplish each of the steps identified and analyzed above is quite challenging. It will require much effort, starting with mustering the political will to creating the legislation, technological, and Cyber Security assets, with the help of and reliance on dedicated and highly specialized human resources. Once the shift to this totally new approach is put in motion, the strategy will require at least two to four full years to be implemented. It is very important to state that, without claiming to be able to completely eliminate the threats that the National Cyber Security Strategy aims to counteract, it is of utmost importance to take all possible measures to reduce risks and to reach an acceptable level of security. Lebanon must allow companies and citizens to continue to prosper and to take advantage of the enormous opportunities that digital technology offers. A Cyber Security Strategy developed by a Government, thus representing a whole country, with nationwide impacts and enhancements, must foresee clear objectives and continuous, long-term actions. As Lebanon readies itself to create and launch a National Cyber Security Strategy, it is crucial to identify and itemize the key pillars, upon which a prospective Strategy must rely on. It is only by clearly identifying and prioritizing these foundational pillars that the development of a Strategy and its operational implementation can consequently be envisioned and achieved. Given the above, the National Cyber Strategy shall be based on the following strategic, key, founding axes, which shall be referred to as Pillars: 1. Defend, deter, and reinforce against threats from inside and outside; 2. Develop international cooperation in the field of Cyber Security; June 2019 LEBANON NATIONAL CYBER SECURITY STRATEGY 21