n liberal democratic countries, the role of the state in cybersecurity is a politically contested space. We investigate that role along three dimensions: the first is theoretical and we look at existing cybersecurity literature, showing that international affairs literature is almost exclusively highlighting the role of the state as a security actor. We argue that this view is too narrow and risks limiting the discussion to only a few aspects of what cybersecurity entails. The second is empirical and we analyse policy development, showing the diversity of the roles the state imagines for itself. The state occupies six different roles in cybersecurity: (1) security guarantor, (2) legislator and regulator, (3) supporter and representative of the whole of society, (4) security partner, (5) knowledge generator and distributor, and (6) threat actor. The third dimension is normative and we investigate what the role of the state should be.