The World Economic Forum recently released a report titled “Cybersecurity, emerging technology and systemic risk”, outlining some of the cybersecurity implications arising from emerging technologies and the responses required from technologists, governments and business leaders to address them. As they point out, implementing ‘security’ as a point solution is not enough. While they include chapters devoted to ubiquitous connectivity, AI, quantum computing and digital identity, they outline the way in which the combination of these elements is changing the dynamics of cyberspace as we understand it.
You can access the full report, a collaboration between the WEF and the University of Oxford’s Global Cyber Security Capacity Centre, on this page of the WEF site. However, the executive summary provides the following recommendations (emphases by 6GWorld)
- There are hidden and systemic risks inherent in the emerging technology environment,
which will require significant changes to the international and security community response
to cybersecurity. Policy interventions are required that incentivize collaboration and
accountability on the part of both businesses and governments.
- There are gaps in the current operational cybersecurity approaches that need to be
addressed. Defending ourselves against evolving threats requires new cybersecurity tools,
as well as an understanding of how to effectively deploy these new solutions, at pace,
throughout global systems. The attack surface associated with new technology use needs
to be addressed. Policy that incentivizes higher standards of care in technology and
service delivery is needed.
- Business leaders need the ability to plan more strategically for emerging risk so they
can ensure that the organizations delivering the most critical infrastructures do not suffer
failures that are catastrophic for societies.
Alex Lawrence is Managing Editor at 6GWorld. His mission is to bring together stakeholders from across industries, countries and disciplines to make sure that, as technology evolves in the coming decade, it’s meeting the changing demands of society, government and business.
He has been involved as a professional nosy person in the telecoms sphere since 2004, with short detours through industrial O&M and marketing.
If you’d like to talk to Alex about your ideas or projects he’d love to hear from you. @animalawrence or alex.lawrence@6gworld.com.
