Cybersecurity

Featured

Technology allows individuals and organizations access to more comprehensive and diverse information, but this access requires that electronic information, networks, data repositories, and data transmissions be adequately safeguarded. RAND has developed a large body of research focused on recognizing the potential threats to information security and data integrity, as well as implications for personal and institutional privacy.

  • Screen showing computer code with malicious code logged error, photo by solarseven/Getty Images

    Commentary

    Software Supply Chain Risk Is Growing, but Mitigation Solutions Exist

    Software supply chain security has emerged as a leading risk because of the massively fragmented and decentralized nature of modern software development. While we still have much to learn as a community about this risk, there are concrete steps we can take to better understand and mitigate it.

    Jan 26, 2023

  • Blue binary code and blue swirling lines, photo by metamorworks/Getty Images

    Report

    Preparing for Post-Quantum Critical Infrastructure

    Quantum computers are expected to create vulnerabilities in critical infrastructure. How vulnerable are critical functions, such as distributing electricity and protecting sensitive information? And how can the government help infrastructure owners and operators?

    Aug 18, 2022

Explore Cybersecurity

  • Cyber Security Threats

    Multimedia

    Strategies for Minimizing Cybersecurity Risks

    RAND senior international/defense researcher Quentin Hodgson presents strategies for minimizing cybersecurity risks that can be implemented at individual, organizational, national, and international levels.

    Feb 24, 2021

  • Journal Article

    Journal Article

    Systemic Cyber Risk and Aggregate Impacts

    High-profile attacks illustrate the potential for systemic cyber risk. We estimate the aggregate economic impact of firm-specific attacks finding potential large losses from downstream propagations.

    Feb 18, 2021

  • Brochure

    Spotlight 2020–2021

    Spotlight 2020-2021 features examples of our research that helped to improve people's lives during a turbulent year. It also highlights a selection of research initiatives on the horizon for 2021.

    Jan 26, 2021

  • Digital image of heads with padlocks, photo by maxkabakov/Getty Images

    Commentary

    Now Could Be the Time to Form Policy for Emerging Brain- and Body-Enhancement Technologies

    Policymakers might consider developing appropriate policy frameworks for emerging brain- and body-enhancement technologies to ensure that innovations harnessed for societal, economic, or military benefits do not create new vulnerabilities and that governments adequately defend and manage against potential attacks. The technology is quickly moving forward. Policy may need to play catch-up.

    Jan 12, 2021

  • Digital code on dark red background with world map, illustration by WhataWin/Adobe Stock

    Journal Article

    The Impact of New and Emerging Technologies on the Cyber Threat Landscape and Their Implications for NATO

    This paper discusses a selection of new and emerging technologies with potentially disruptive effects, particularly concerning cyber threats that may stem from their maturation and use over the next decade.

    Jan 12, 2021

  • Tech binary code dark red background, photo by WhataWin/AdobeStock

    Journal Article

    Cyber Threats to NATO from a Multi-Domain Perspective

    This paper situates cyber threats in the wider context of evolving multi-domain operations (MDO) theory and practice.

    Jan 12, 2021

  • An illustration of a pacemaker in a person's chest, image by peterschreiber.media/Adobe Stock

    Essay

    Are We Ready for the Internet of Bodies?

    Any device can be hacked, including one inside the human body. We need to think through the privacy and security implications of devices that live with us. But we should also consider the life-changing, life-saving potential of technologies that know us inside and out.

    Jan 8, 2021

  • Periodical

    Periodical

    RAND Review: January-February 2021

    The cover story on the ’Internet of Bodies’ highlights the perils of devices that track personal health data and provide medical treatment. Other columns explore vaccine hesitancy, the high price of insulin in the U.S., and social justice in America.

    Jan 6, 2021

  • Journal Article

    Journal Article

    Research in Mathematics and Public Policy

    This volume features a variety of research projects at the intersection of mathematics and public policy. The topics included here fall in the areas of cybersecurity and climate change.

    Dec 17, 2020

  • Report

    Report

    The Future of Cybercrime in Light of Technology Developments

    RAND Europe conducted a study to: 1. Analyse future technologies and how these could be used to commit or prevent cybercrimes. 2. Propose ways to prevent future technologies from being exploited for criminal purposes.

    Dec 16, 2020

  • Research Brief

    Research Brief

    How could technological developments influence the future of cybercrime?

    How could technological developments influence the future of cybercrime? RAND Europe investigated this policy question and identified possible approaches to prevent future technologies from being exploited for criminal purposes.

    Dec 16, 2020

  • In this video, RAND mathematician Mary Lee examines emerging Internet of Bodies (IoB) technologies.

    Multimedia

    What Is the Internet of Bodies?

    RAND mathematician Mary Lee examines technologies that make up the Internet of Bodies (IoB); explores their benefits, risks, and ethical implications; surveys the regulatory landscape; and makes recommendations to balance IoB risks and rewards.

    Oct 29, 2020

  • Classic proportion man in the form of a starry sky or space, consisting of point, line, photo by Adobe Stock/anttoniart

    Report

    The Internet of Bodies: Opportunities, Risks, and Governance

    Within the broader Internet of Things (IoT) lies a subset of devices that monitor the human body and transmit the collected data. What are the benefits, security and privacy risks, and ethical implications of the growing Internet of Bodies (IoB)?

    Oct 29, 2020

  • The logo of the social network application TikTok and a US flag shown on a mobile device screen in Miami, Florida, September 18, 2020, photo by Johnny Louis/Reuters

    Commentary

    Could Time Be Up for TikTok?

    Is it possible for ByteDance to maintain ownership in TikTok Global while ameliorating U.S. national security concerns? At the heart of any deal should be a highly technical agreement on data security issues—one that not only the two companies but the two governments might have to agree to.

    Sep 24, 2020

  • Report

    Report

    Securing U.S. Elections Against Cyber Threats: Considerations for Supply Chain Risk Management

    The supply chain for components of U.S. election systems and equipment is at the core of election security. The authors of this Perspective describe the supply chain–related risks to election cybersecurity and integrity and how they can be managed.

    Sep 22, 2020

  • American whistleblower Edward Snowden is seen on a screen as he delivers a speech during the Roskilde Festival in Roskilde, Denmark, June 28 2016, photo by Scanpix Denmark/Mathias Loevgreen Bojesen/via Reuters

    Commentary

    A Snowden Pardon Could Have a Snowball Effect on Protecting National Security Secrets

    If President Trump were to pardon Edward Snowden, then he might encourage vigilante behavior that puts at risk the very sensitive information and operations—meaning American interests and lives—that the U.S. national security system is intended to protect.

    Sep 4, 2020

  • Journal Article

    Journal Article

    Private-Sector Attribution of Cyber Incidents: Benefits and Risks to the U.S. Government

    This article addresses four questions on the relationship of private sector cyberintelligence companies with the U.S. Government.

    Sep 1, 2020

  • RAND Weekly Recap

    Blog

    L.A.'s High Unemployment, RAND's New Research Center, Twitter: RAND Weekly Recap

    This weekly recap focuses on unemployment in the Los Angeles area, the new RAND Center to Advance Racial Equity Policy, food consumption in the UK, and more.

    Aug 14, 2020

  • Twitter logo and binary cyber codes, November 26, 2019, photo by Dado Ruvic/Reuters

    Commentary

    Insider Threat at Twitter Is a Risk to Everyone

    Three young hackers were charged in the hijacking of dozens of high-profile Twitter accounts. Their tactics point out how vulnerabilities at tech platforms can pose a risk to national security.

    Aug 7, 2020

  • How Can We Protect Voters?

    Multimedia

    How Can We Protect Voters' Health and Secure the Election?

    RAND's Quentin Hodgson describes several measures in place for combatting cyber threats to the 2020 presidential election and strategies for protecting the health of voters and poll workers.

    Aug 6, 2020

Research conducted by