Cybersecurity Threats

Cybersecurity — the protection of computer systems, networks, and data from attack, damage, or unauthorized access — has become a national security priority as digital infrastructure becomes the backbone of modern civilization. Global cybercrime costs reached $8 trillion in 2023 and are projected to hit $10.5 trillion by 2025, making cybercrime the world's third-largest 'economy' after the US and China. Major threat categories: ransomware (encrypting victims' files and demanding payment — Colonial Pipeline attack 2021 shut down half the US East Coast's fuel supply for 5 days; WannaCry 2017 infected 200,000+ computers in 150 countries including UK NHS, shutting hospitals); nation-state attacks (SolarWinds supply chain attack 2020 — Russian SVR compromised 18,000 organizations including multiple US government agencies); phishing (85% of data breaches start with phishing); and critical infrastructure attacks (power grids, water treatment, financial systems). Zero-day vulnerabilities — software flaws unknown to the vendor — sell on dark web markets for up to $2.5 million.