A comprehensive exploration of the risks posed by digital consolidation in the modern technological landscape. Building Resilience to Societal Risk in a Digitally Consolidated World highlights how the concentration of digital functions and infrastructure within a few companies creates societal vulnerabilities, making those companies high-value targets for adversaries and prone to cascading failures.

 

This initiative was led by a distinguished Task Force, co-chaired by Cory Simpson and Brett Freedman, and included cybersecurity, business, and industry experts. It was motivated by pivotal events such as the 2024 CrowdStrike outage and the Cyber Safety Review Board's report on Microsoft's Exchange Online Intrusion, which underscored the societal risks of digital consolidation.

 

The report emphasizes the urgent need for resilience to counter these risks, introducing the "4-R" framework:

1. Resourcing: Advocating for government investment to diversify and strengthen critical digital systems.

2. Recovery: Establishing robust disaster recovery plans to mitigate the impacts of digital disruptions.

3. Rehearsal: Conducting rigorous, collaborative cybersecurity drills to enhance readiness.

4. Response: Develop clear deterrence policies to prevent exploitation of digital consolidation by adversaries.

 

The report also delves into geopolitical challenges, particularly China's state-backed cyber strategies, which exploit weaknesses in U.S. infrastructure and pose a significant challenge to democratic values.

 

The value of this report lies in its actionable recommendations for addressing societal risks through robust collaboration between the public and private sectors. It advocates for policies prioritizing system redundancy, transparency, and swift recovery, offering a practical framework for building resilience in an era of growing digital interdependence and global competition.

 

This effort underscores the critical importance of modernizing and securing the digital infrastructure that supports economies, security, and everyday life. It reflects ICIT's role as a resource for those who share its mission to safeguard and strengthen the critical systems that provide for society’s foundational needs.