Cybersecurity Futures 2030

The report identifies a shift in cybersecurity from protecting confidentiality to ensuring the integrity and provenance of information, driven by the acceleration of AI and the spread of mis- and disinformation. It emphasizes the need for 'secure by design' principles in emerging economies, transformative investment in human capital to combat 'brain drain', and the integration of cybersecurity with climate resilience. The findings suggest that stable governments can leverage long-term strategies to become trusted global brands, while public-private partnerships remain essential but hindered by current incentive structures.

• Cybersecurity is shifting its primary focus from the confidentiality and availability of data toward ensuring its integrity and provenance, largely because the spread of mis-, dis- and mal-information (MDM) has become a core security concern.
• The acceleration of technological and criminal innovation is outpacing the ability of societies to ensure digital trust. Consequently, governments that maintain stable, long-term cybersecurity strategies can establish themselves as trusted "brands," which helps them attract talent and lead in multilateral standards-setting.
• There is a significant global need for transformative investment in cybersecurity talent. This includes moving from a "brain drain" model to "brain circulation" and increasing broad cyber literacy to protect the general population from social engineering and disinformation.
• Emerging and developing countries have a unique opportunity to implement "secure by design" principles during their digitalization process, avoiding the mistakes made by more developed nations during earlier waves of digitalization.
• Digital security is increasingly linked to sustainability and climate change. The expansion of green energy infrastructure, such as smart grids and electric vehicle charging, increases the Internet of Things (IoT) attack surface, requiring digital infrastructure to be built with climate and energy resilience.
• Global discussions are shifting from theoretical debates about a "free and open" internet toward practical trade-offs between digital sovereignty and interoperability, with a particular focus on reducing dependencies on the US and China.
• Attitudes toward personal data are evolving; there is a growing sentiment that fully restricting data flows is no longer plausible, and the goal is now to negotiate a fair return on investment (ROI) for the controlled and responsible use of data.

APA

World Economic Forum (2023). Cybersecurity Futures 2030. https://www3.weforum.org/docs/WEF_Cybersecurity_Futures_2030_New_Foundations_2023.pdf

Chicago

World Economic Forum. Cybersecurity Futures 2030. 2023. https://www3.weforum.org/docs/WEF_Cybersecurity_Futures_2030_New_Foundations_2023.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=World Economic Forum |title=Cybersecurity Futures 2030 |date=December 2023 |url=https://www3.weforum.org/docs/WEF_Cybersecurity_Futures_2030_New_Foundations_2023.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{worldeconomicforum2023cybersecurity, author = {{World Economic Forum}}, title = {{Cybersecurity Futures 2030}}, institution = {World Economic Forum}, year = {2023}, month = dec, url = {https://www3.weforum.org/docs/WEF_Cybersecurity_Futures_2030_New_Foundations_2023.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }