The September 11 attacks demonstrated, with horrifying clarity, the outsize power individuals have to wreak havoc on an open society. Since that awful day, the spread of technology and our solidifying interconnectedness have increasingly placed the capacity for disruption and harm in the hands of not just states, but of individuals all over the globe. This trend has been called the democratization of violence, and it describes literal, kinetic violence (think bioweapons cooked up in a kitchen and mini-drones weaponized in a garage) and less physical but still devastating cyberattacks.
These threats will continue to grow in the months and years ahead because cyberattacks of all kinds are relatively cheap and can be launched at scale. Now, American industry and government must work more closely together to buttress the defenses necessary to thwart these attacks.
