Cybersecurity Is Economic Security

Today, a locally owned coffee roaster in Colombia can reach customers in Germany and Japan, accepting payments in euros, yen, and pesos. Meanwhile, a daughter in Connecticut sends money to her parents in Morocco, and it arrives in their account in a matter of seconds. It’s easy to forget that these everyday moments, so central to our lives, were not possible until relatively recently. Moments like these remind me of how our connected digital economy—and the technology that powers it—has opened more opportunity for more people in more places than ever before. It’s nothing short of revolutionary. At the same time, this revolution created new risks. Connections that unlock growth can also create shared vulnerabilities that hackers, fraudsters, and scammers are quick to exploit. In 2024, cybercrime losses were equivalent to the third-largest economy in the world measured in GDP, behind only the U.S. and China. By 2029, its value is projected to reach $15.6 trillion. Add to that the rapid evolution of AI models, and the stakes are rapidly being raised on both sides of the cybersecurity equation. While bad actors use AI to commit more convincing scams and scale attacks, defenders are put...