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Technology Demographics Favor Cyber Attackers

The playing field is tilted toward, and the clock is in favor of, online marauders.

The virtual landscape and ongoing technology trends favor cyber attackers throughout the digital realm. And, that imbalance is likely to worsen as more state players exploit new capabilities for inflicting severe damage through cyberspace.

This issue was explored by a panel on cyber and intelligence on day two of TechNet Asia-Pacific 2014, being held in Honolulu December 9-11. All the panelists agreed that the deck is stacked in favor of cybermarauders, and that situation is likely to worsen.

David Yardley, cyber intelligence analyst, Joint Intelligence Operations Center, U.S. Pacific Command, declared that cyberspace is a medium that is more hospitable to attackers than defenders. One of the biggest threats is the use of the Internet for recruitment and propaganda for radical causes.

Capt. Clifford Bean, USN, commander, NSA Central Security Service, Hawaii, cited several predictions that bode ill for cyberdefenders. By 2018, half of all Internet traffic will be from mobile devices. Cybersecurity is going to become a commodity, with insurance rates based on an institution’s cybersecurity posture.

On a large scale, currently, the most powerful computer in the world has computing power approaching that of the human mind. It costs about $100 million. By 2049, a $1,000 desktop computer will have the computing power of the entire human race.

Special Agent John Dunn Jr., supervisory special agent, FBI, noted that billions of dollars are lost to cybercrime annually. A study showed that 73 percent of those who tried to steal company secrets held a trusted position within a company. Dunn called for Congress to establish cybersecurity standards for defense contractors.