Compare cybersecurity risks in the U.S. and another country

The United States and China have a long and complex relationship that has ties to right after World War II. As these countries have close ties in many domains such as economy and technology, it would be interesting to see whether they have similar cybersecurity risks

• The United States of America:
  • The U.S. is the worlds largest economy and is currently regarded as the only global superpower (since the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991). Now, of course being the biggest in the world isn’t always a great thing. Being the biggest economy would normally mean that the U.S presents as a huge target for hackers and other countries. However, according to the International Institute for Strategic Studies, the U.S is the world’s most powerful when it comes to cyber power (cyber offense, cyber defense, and cyber intelligence). So while the U.S is a huge target, its cyber power ensures that the U.S. homeland is not at huge risk for cyber attacks. The Department of Defense (DoD), as of 2021, says that their is “no cyber threat to the U.S. homeland.” Now, this does not mean the U.S will remain impervious forever as the landscape of modern technology continues to change. The U.S will need to continue to adapt and patch it’s weak spots in order to remain a global power.
• China
  • China is also a large player in the grand scheme of the world and is even considered an emerging super power (that could outdo the U.S in a couple decades or so). As such, China is also a big cyber target (as well as one that hosts a lot of cyber attacks). While China is relatively hard to launch a cyber attack on, it does have its fair share of vulnerabilities. One of it’s largest risks is lack of organization, however, that does seem to be changing as they have passed a law requiring stricter standards on Chinese and import companies. China does have a leg-up over the U.S in one aspect of cyber power though; China is superior when it comes to surveillance.

Overall, while both countries are very powerful, they each have their own risks that need handling. While it was hard to find any major risk in the U.S, China does have some risks that they need to try to manage.