This archive report was first published on 10 September 2019.
Published on September 10, 2019, a National Security Agency (N.S.A.) official highlighted the need for the United States to prepare for the future of war, which is increasingly being shaped by the digital revolution.
The digital revolution has brought about a significant shift in the balance of power between the government and the private sector. With the rapid advancement of technology, the private sector is now at the forefront of complex technological developments, including computing and algorithm development. This is evident in the work being done in university research labs and by companies like Google and Amazon.
Furthermore, the digital revolution has made it possible for individuals to access sophisticated tools and capabilities that were previously exclusive to the government. For instance, anyone with a smartphone can now download facial recognition apps, malicious cybertools, or other capabilities that were once the exclusive domain of government agencies.
The private sector also possesses a vast amount of data about individuals and commercial activity, which is far greater than what governments could ever obtain. Companies like antivirus vendors, with their global sensors connected to corporate clients, have more information about network activity than any government agency. This trend is expected to continue, with the private sector becoming the primary collector and repository of key information about individuals and commercial activity.
As the owners of physical infrastructure learned after the September 11 terrorist attacks, commercial owners will be expected to take steps to protect society when our everyday lives rely on the security of assets and services held in the private sector. This includes safeguarding personal data, making it accurate, and using it in ways that do not violate our notions of privacy and proper use.
However, governments cannot and should not be relied upon to prevent and defend against every cyberthreat to the private sector, even from nation-states. This leaves the private sector frustrated and underdefended, with hacking back often being impossible and generally illegal. National security agencies will need to find an effective path for collaboration with the private sector to mitigate cyberthreats.
The private sector should assume a greater burden in this area, but with the active support of national security agencies. This includes being more forthcoming about network breaches, collecting, analyzing, and retaining data, and making it available with appropriate safeguards to the government for national security purposes.
