America AMERICA’S CYBERSECURITY CRISIS: A Call to Action A


Theft of intellectual property by China, Russia, and Iran hurts economy, warns national security expert. BY MICHAEL G. COZZI


s the united states faces an increasingly volatile global landscape, cyberse- curity has emerged as one


of the most critical national security threats of the modern era. The scale and sophistication of cyberattacks have grown dramatically, with adversaries such as China, Russia, and Iran actively targeting American infrastructure, businesses, and govern- ment agencies. One of the most pressing concerns is


the rampant theft of American intellec- tual property, warns national security expert Richard Levine. “IP theft is particularly harmful


to our society in terms of economic output,” according to Levine, former director of policy development at the National Security Council and author of Pillars for Freedom: An Exploration of the Pillars of America’s National Power and the Foundations and Principles on Which They Rest. In an interview with Newsmax, he


pointed to extensive reports by for- mer Utah Gov. Jon Huntsman, who served as U.S. ambassador to Russia and China, and retired Navy Adm. Dennis Blair, a former director of U.S. national intelligence. They estimate that trillions of dollars


have been stolen from the U.S. economy due to cyber espionage and illicit data exfi ltration. “To put this in perspec- tive, if you divided those losses among American families, one in 80 would be instant millionaires,” said Levine. The theft of computer code benefi ts


Chinese companies because it signifi - cantly reduces their costs.


Beyond fi nancial losses, the U.S. faces an evolving, potentially catastrophic cyberwarfare threat.


“A company from the People’s


Republic of China in the manufactur- ing domain may only spend 7% to 8% of what an American fi rm would need to buy software legitimately,” Levine said. This erodes U.S. competitiveness


and places domestic fi rms at an eco- nomic disadvantage, compounding the long-term damage to American innova- tion and national security. Beyond fi nancial losses, Amer-


ica faces an evolving cyberwarfare threat, one that Levine warns could have catastrophic consequences if left unaddressed.


Global industry sectors most targeted by basic web application attacks from November 2022 to


October 2023 Finance


Information Professional


Public Administration Manufacturing Healthcare Education


Transportation Retail


Entertainment Other Services Real Estate


24 22


22 NEWSMAX | APRIL 2025 106 77 64


37 37


33 32


19 37 65 105 153 220 320 639 452 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024 2025 2026 2027 2028 904 144 127 1,301 184 “We are buff eted by nonattribut-


able cyberattacks, which, in certain instances, can be instruments of war,” he said. Levine stresses the importance of developing cyber deterrence capabili- ties. “The fi rst thing we have to do is be able to attribute cyberattacks to their source, whether it be Iran, China, or another actor. “Some people think cybersecurity is


just about bank account breaches, but it’s much more than that. Adversaries can create a false reality, infl uencing our decision-making based on manipu- lated information.” The Chinese spy balloon incident


exposed more than just a surveil- lance operation; it was a strategic test of America’s response mechanisms, according to Levine. To address these threats, Levine


calls for a fundamental restructuring of America’s cybersecurity infrastructure. “Cybersecurity must become a cardi- nal component of America’s economic security architecture,” he asserts. He warns that bureaucratic ineffi -


ciencies and a lack of technical expertise hinder America’s ability to mount an eff ective cyber defense. “Present fed- eral powers do not possess the technical capabilities, personnel, authorities, or access to the president to implement a comprehensive strategy in this domain.” Levine places his hope in the emerg-


ing DOGE commission and the devel- opment of advanced cyber capabilities. He references John von Neumann, one of the pioneers of modern computing, who argued that “reliable systems must be built from unreliable parts.”


Estimated annual cost of cybercrime in the United States from 2017 to 2028 (in billion U.S. dollars)


1,816


SOURCE: Statista


SHIELD/MF3D©ISTOCK


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