Digital risks escalated in 2020 under the onset of the novel coronavirus and shaped the cybersecurity policy landscape. Over the coming year, we can surmise five accelerating digital trends that will continue to exert their impact on security and human behavior. These include the proliferation of 5G and Internet-of-Things technologies, the continued use of disinformation tactics on social media (particularly around the coronavirus and issues of racial justice), the dangerous use of technologies by illiberal regimes, the rise of the MITRE ATT&CK framework as a tool for threat management, and the catalyzing impact of new U.S. leadership on policymaking and America’s national identity formation. Each will emerge as focal points in shaping the cybersecurity story over the coming year.
