How Dangerous Are Cyberattacks?

Published: November 11, 2020

Cyberattacks are different from conventional attacks in that they are often covert, temporary, and intangible. As a result, they aren’t likely to have devastating short-term consequences or draw combatants into traditional battle. Instead, cyberattacks can gradually erode the foundations of social, political, and economic stability over time.

Discussion Questions

1. Are cyberattacks as destructive as physical attacks?
2. What can the government do to help protect the private sector from cyberattacks?

Additional Resources

• Listen to Jacquelyn Schneider and Herb Lin discuss “Cyber Power and Peril in the Post-COVID World.” Available here.
• Read “The Military May Be Sacrificing Too Much in the Name of Global Presence,” by Jacquelyn Schneider. Available here.
• Read “Iran Can Use Cyberattacks against the U.S. That’s Not Nearly as Bad as It Sounds,” by Jacquelyn Schneider. Available here.
• Read “It’s Time to Calibrate Fears of Cyberwar in Iran,” by Jacquelyn Schneider. Available here.
• Read “The Cyberspace Solarium Commission: From Competing to Complementary Strategies,” by Jacquelyn Schneider. Available here.