White Paper Global Agenda Council on Cybersecurity

The report identifies a growing 'hyperconnectivity' driven by cloud computing and the Internet of Things (IoT) that expands the attack surface for cybercrime. It highlights critical tensions, such as the public sector's struggle with international legal fragmentation and the private sector's tendency to prioritize rapid innovation over security investments. To address these, the document recommends adopting cyber hygiene, implementing multi-factor authentication, and establishing independent security certification organizations to create high-information consumers.

• Hyperconnectivity, driven by the expansion of cloud computing and the Internet of Things (IoT), has increased the attack surface, allowing attackers to reach more users through more devices.
• The public sector faces significant hurdles in addressing cybersecurity due to international legal fragmentation, difficulties in establishing consensus norms, and conflicting roles as both regulator and collaborator.
• Private sector companies often neglect basic cybersecurity best practices because of market pressures that reward rapid innovation and speed-to-market over sustained security investments.
• The complexity of modern software and hardware ecosystems, where products rely on components from multiple independent vendors, creates vulnerabilities that are difficult to manage without central control.
• A significant trust deficit exists between governments and the private sector, exacerbated by revelations of government surveillance, which hinders information sharing and collaboration.
• The report suggests that the creation of independent security organizations, similar to Underwriters Laboratories (UL), could introduce accountability by certifying products and enabling consumers to make informed purchasing decisions.
• To bridge the cybersecurity knowledge gap, educational programs must move beyond technical training to include non-technical skills in human behavior, economics, and psychology.
• Blended governance models are proposed to replace inadequate traditional multistakeholder processes, allowing for more flexible and responsive public-private partnerships.

APA

World Economic Forum (2016). White Paper Global Agenda Council on Cybersecurity. http://www3.weforum.org/docs/GAC16_Cybersecurity_WhitePaper_.pdf

Chicago

World Economic Forum. White Paper Global Agenda Council on Cybersecurity. 2016. http://www3.weforum.org/docs/GAC16_Cybersecurity_WhitePaper_.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=World Economic Forum |title=White Paper Global Agenda Council on Cybersecurity |date=April 2016 |url=http://www3.weforum.org/docs/GAC16_Cybersecurity_WhitePaper_.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{worldeconomicforum2016white, author = {{World Economic Forum}}, title = {{White Paper Global Agenda Council on Cybersecurity}}, institution = {World Economic Forum}, year = {2016}, month = apr, url = {http://www3.weforum.org/docs/GAC16_Cybersecurity_WhitePaper_.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }