Most books end with conclusions. However, at the beginning of our story we told you that this is a story about trust. And any trustworthy relationships are based on reputation, which is a continuous and dynamic phenomenon. Trust is the reason why most companies successfully tackle cyber risks and, at the same time, it is also the reason many of us get in trouble when adversaries are tricking us into something we would not otherwise do.
So, we cannot conclude this story just yet because, whether we like it or not, it will live beyond the passages of this book. We simply do not know yet how this story ends …
We are yet to see how cybersecurity threats will evolve in the next few years and what solutions will be designed to counteract those threats. Will we be able to algorithmically model adversarial behavior and cyberattacks in such a way that our algorithms will stand a tough test not only in identifying cybercriminals, but also in a court of law? To what extent will the cybersecurity measures of the future be based on human values? Will we be able to ensure that cybersecurity is achieved without limiting and violating human rights and freedoms? Will we learn how to effectively share information between businesses and customers, within organizations, between businesses, and between businesses and regulators? Will we understand cybersecurity risks better in the next ten years or will the digital spaces become even less structured and more confusing? How will cybercriminal ecosystems and business models evolve in the future? Will we succeed in training humans to successfully detect potential risks and vulnerabilities in cyber spaces? Will we learn to use human psychology to our benefit rather than design measures to stop adversaries exploiting our psychological traits? Will we find optimal ways to manage cybersecurity issues at a country, city, organizational, and individual level? What will the active cyberdefense of the future look like? How will it be affected by the Industrial Revolution 4.0 with the development of AI and quantum computing?
Good luck!