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Cyberattacks on critical infrastructure— uncovered, including in such areas as brain-
rated the fifth top risk in 2020 by our computer interfaces and hyper-automation
expert network—have become the new (combining robotics and AI). 25
normal across sectors such as energy,
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healthcare, and transportation. Such Fifth generation (5G). 4IR technologies
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attacks have even affected entire cities. rely on high-speed digital infrastructure—on
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Public and private sectors alike are at 5G networks and, further down the road,
risk of being held hostage. Organized 6G. While 5G technology can be built in
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cybercrime entities are joining forces, part on existing 4G infrastructure, significant
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and their likelihood of detection and shortfalls in capacity are expected as
prosecution is estimated to be as low as early as 2020 in some countries. Current
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0.05% in the United States. Cybercrime- projections show the risk of a US$1
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as-a-service is also a growing business trillion global gap in telecommunication
model, as the increasing sophistication infrastructure investments through 2040.
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of tools on the Darknet makes malicious In developed countries, the challenge is
services more affordable and easily not only to build modern infrastructure
accessible for anyone. but also to overcome reliance on legacy
systems, on which the public and private
The IoT is also amplifying the potential sectors currently spend up to 80% of their
cyberattack surface. It is estimated that technology budgets. Here, introducing
there are already over 21 billion IoT devices new, safe and reliable systems into existing
worldwide, and their number will double capabilities is key; some entities have
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by 2025. Attacks on IoT devices increased already begun to do this. 29
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by more than 300% in the first half of
2019, while in September 2019, IoTs were
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used as intermediaries is expected to One million
used to take down Wikipedia through
classic distributed denial of service (DDoS)
attacks, and the risk of IoT devices being
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increase. In 2021, cybercrime damages
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might reach US$6 trillion — what would be additional people joining the
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equivalent to the GDP of the world’s third internet daily
largest economy. 21
Vulnerable data. 4IR technologies
run on data, making privacy a major Quantum computing. Quantum computing
challenge. IoT devices collect and share could dramatically reduce the time needed
data that are potentially highly sensitive to solve the mathematical problems on
for individuals, companies and states, which encryption techniques currently rely—
from personal identification and medical from months to minutes and seconds. It
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records to national security information. risks rendering useless most of our existing
The data brokering market—aggregating, data security and critical infrastructure
disaggregating, copying, searching and systems, including military networks, email
selling data for commercial purposes—is and power grids. 31
worth an estimated US$200 billion a year.
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Data theft can enable the manipulation of Cloud computing. While many technical
individual and collective behaviour, leading advancements of 4IR are essentially
to physical and psychological harm. digitally based, cloud computing has
the potential to enhance trans-sectoral
Artificial intelligence (AI). AI has been development, expand technological access
dubbed both “the most impactful invention” to remote areas and further link AI to
and our “biggest existential threat”. other 4IR technologies. At the same time,
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Indeed, we may not even be able to with increasingly more data hosted in the
comprehend AI’s full potential—or its full cloud, companies are amassing personal
risk. Some risks—such as manipulation information like never before, which could
through fake news and “deepfakes”—are ultimately create potential new data privacy
well known. Others are yet to be fully and security risks. 32
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The Global Risks Report 2020 63
