The United States is number one—unfortunately, in the wrong category. When it comes to cyberattacks, America is the most targeted country in the world. Every day, U.S. businesses, government agencies, hospitals, universities, and individual citizens come under digital siege by cyber criminals, foreign governments, and non-state actors. These intrusions threaten not just personal privacy, but national security, economic stability, and critical infrastructure.

Over 65% of global cyberattacks are directed at the U.S. That figure towers over the next most-targeted nation, Japan, which accounts for a mere 8%. The top ten also includes Brazil (6%), Canada (5%), Australia, and Mexico (4% each), South Korea, Chile, India, and Peru (each at 2%). Meanwhile, in terms of offensive cyber capability, the United States ranks fifth—behind China, North Korea, Iran, and Russia. The gap between America’s vulnerability and its counteroffensive strength is both glaring and dangerous.

From 2006 to 2020, the United States endured more “significant” cyberattacks—defined as those causing damages of $1 million or more—than any other country. In that 14-year span, the U.S. suffered 156 major breaches. The United Kingdom was a distant second with 47, followed by India (23), Germany (21), South Korea (18), Australia and Ukraine (16 each), and China, Iran, and Saudi Arabia (15 apiece). These assaults don’t just target bank accounts or inboxes; they compromise military secrets, expose intelligence networks, and risk the lives of overseas operatives, aid workers, and human rights defenders.

Consider the 2020 Russian cyber offensive that infiltrated the Department of State, the Department of Homeland Security, the National Institutes of Health, the Department of Defense, and even state and local governments. It was a sweeping incursion into the very core of the American public sector. Such attacks underscore the modern battlefield: one fought not with missiles and tanks, but with malware and stolen credentials.

The U.S. government has spent decades trying to secure its digital frontier. Efforts stretch across administrations and political divides. What began with the Cipher Bureau after World War I—a primitive cryptanalysis unit—evolved over the decades into a vast web of institutions and initiatives. These include the National Infrastructure Assurance Council (1999), the President’s National Infrastructure Advisory Council (2001), National Cyber Security Awareness Month (2004), U.S. Cyber Command (2009), DARPA’s Cyber Grand Challenge (2016), the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (2018), and the White House Office of the National Cyber Director (2021). Yet the cat-and-mouse game continues, as attackers evolve faster than the systems designed to stop them.

This vulnerability stems from our hyperconnected lives. Today, the average American walks around with a supercomputer in their pocket. We stream, scroll, share, and shop online—often oblivious to the dangers lurking behind every click and keystroke. The very convenience that defines modern life is what renders it so susceptible to exploitation.

Cyberattacks come in many forms. Phishing schemes trick users into revealing passwords and financial details. Identity theft turns stolen data into fraudulent activity. Intrusions allow hackers to commandeer devices. Malware—viruses, ransomware, worms, and trojans—cripple networks. Denial-of-service attacks render sites and systems inaccessible. Each of these tactics represents a different doorway into our digital lives.

For corporations, the cost of a successful breach is staggering. Intellectual property can be stolen, operations disrupted, stock prices tanked, and trust eroded. Customers whose data is compromised often flee to competitors, turning technical failures into existential threats. The litany of high-profile breaches tells a sobering story: In 2013, Yahoo lost data tied to 3 billion user accounts. In 2017, the Equifax hack exposed over 100 million Americans. In 2018, Facebook suffered a breach affecting 50 million users. That same year, Marriott’s systems were compromised, leaking over 500 million records.

But it isn’t just corporations at risk. In 2021, the Colonial Pipeline—a critical piece of American energy infrastructure—was paralyzed by ransomware. That same year, the HIVE ransomware group hit over 1,500 hospitals, school districts, and financial firms in more than 80 countries, extracting $130 million in ransoms before the FBI seized their site in 2022. The consequences were far-reaching: patients unable to receive care, students locked out of classrooms, and essential services ground to a halt.

Some attacks are brazenly political. In 2014, Sony Pictures was hacked by North Korea, enraged by The Interview, a satirical film mocking Kim Jong-Un. The hackers released internal emails and sensitive employee data, and even threatened terrorist attacks on theaters. The movie was ultimately pulled from cinemas and relegated to streaming platforms. It was a striking example of how artistic expression, digital vulnerability, and international conflict can collide in the 21st century.

And it’s not just authoritarian regimes launching cyberattacks—it’s also how they govern. In countries like Russia, Venezuela, Cuba, Saudi Arabia, Belarus, Myanmar, Nicaragua, El Salvador, and Iran, repressive cyber laws target individuals for online dissent. Citizens risk imprisonment—or worse—for criticizing the powerful. In these environments, a simple tweet or post becomes a liability. The fragile egos of autocrats, unable to command legitimacy through consent, resort instead to censorship, surveillance, and intimidation.

Cybersecurity, then, is not merely a technical issue—it is a moral, social, economic, and geopolitical imperative. It is the responsibility of individuals, corporations, and governments alike. Nearly every aspect of life now lives online. And with digital convenience comes profound risk. As our digital footprint expands, so too must our commitment to defend it. Because if we fail to act, we won’t just lose data—we’ll lose trust, safety, and perhaps even freedom itself.