The government also benefits from weaknesses in cyberinfrastructures.
Cybersecurity threats are constantly evolving, and cyber-attack events are becoming commonplace. Motivations for cyber-attacks include business theft, identity theft, unauthorized access, Intellectual property theft, hacktivism (political and social point), etc. The basis for most data breaches of 2021 is money; to put it in a more concise form, hackers want your money. According to cyberattack statistics from 2020, 304 million ransomware attacks were reported worldwide, a 62 percent rise in cyber attacks from 2019 and the second-highest figure since 2014. The proliferation of ransomware and cryptocurrency has made it easy for malicious actors to profit from cybersecurity breaches.
Cyber risk management, Cybersecurity strategy, and cyber awareness have been touted as solutions to the challenge, but modern threats have evolved past these techniques. The government also benefits from weaknesses in cyberinfrastructures. The United States government promotes a cybersecurity policy in support of the flow of information, security, and privacy of data, and the integrity of the interconnected networks themselves. On the flip side, the United States government engages in cyber espionage worldwide for intelligence purposes, which involves breaking into information technology systems and networks. The government has also been a victim of cybersecurity breaches.
Efforts put in place by the potential victims to secure these systems will frustrate espionage efforts, so the government is not interested in creating a permanent solution. There have been reports that the government has solicited big tech companies to introduce backdoors in communication networks to aid law enforcement and fight against crime. The government is constantly fighting to keep the demon under control, but it can’t kill the demon because it also uses the demon to attack its enemies.
The entire system is sick, and there is a constant need to patch things up. Suppose we succeed in creating an ideal secured device today, with security engineered into the hardware and the software stack. In that case, it may end up having compatibility issues with other devices that exist today. Until we can get things right, probably through a redesign of the entire internet, we will have to keep patching and fixing.
