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ACM Opinion

Stop Passing the Buck on Cybersecurity


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Digital image illustration of a shadowy figure etched in a blurry field of data.

While the focus on malicious actors is important, cyber-intrusions are a symptom, rather than a cause, of the continued vulnerability of U.S. technology.

Credit: Kacper Pempel/Reuters

Despite a global multibillion-dollar cybersecurity industry, the threat from malicious cyber-activity, from both criminal and state actors, continues to grow. Over the past decade, adversaries of the U.S. have developed increasingly sophisticated offensive cyber-capabilities.

What the U.S. faces, however, is less a cyber problem than a broader technology and culture problem. The incentives for developing and selling technology have eclipsed customer safety in importance. As Americans have integrated technology into nearly every facet of their lives, they have unwittingly come to accept that it is normal for new software and devices to be indefensible by design.

From Foreign Affairs
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