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After ISIS, Americans Fear Cyberattacks Most (theatlantic.com)

Posted by msmash on from the cyberattack-woes dept.

An anonymous reader writes: According to Pew Research Center, there's an increasingly growing fear among Americans about cyberattacks. In fact, it's the second most feared entity to them, the first being ISIS. The terrorist group is scary by design, relying on propaganda videos and ultra-violent attacks to spread fear and project power. But coming in second right after the terrorist group was the prospect of country-on-country cyberwar: a digital raid to steal another government's information, for example, or a large-scale attack on a nation's electrical grid. Cyberattacks are a major threat in the minds of 72 percent of Americans, and a minor threat to another 22 percent. Cyberwar hasn't been on Americans' minds to this degree since 2013. That year, for the first time, Americans ranked cyberattacks as a top threat, placing it second after the threat from Islamic extremists like al-Qaeda. But in the intervening years, Americans turned their attention to nuclear threats.

4 of 97 comments (clear)

  1. Who are these people they are talking with? by damn_registrars · · Score: 4, Insightful

    Seriously, who holds ISIS as their top fear? The overwhelming majority of Americans will literally never be within a couple thousand miles of ISIS at any time in their lives. Yeah, ISIS is really really awful but their ability to actually harm people here in the states is so very close to zero that they might as well not exist. American citizens are more likely to be harmed by a chicken sandwich in most cases.

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    Damn_registrars has no butt-hole. Damn_registrars has no use for a butt-hole.
    1. Re:Who are these people they are talking with? by Sperbels · · Score: 4, Informative

      Have you listened to talk radio in the 20 years? They create fear. It is a gigantic propaganda engine that the media is indeed complicit in...because fear sells like hotcakes.

  2. They're afraid of the wrong things... by XxtraLarGe · · Score: 4, Insightful

    ISIS poses very little threat to the average American, but the beast we're feeding to keep us "safe" from them is a bigger danger. Even though I know I'm not doing anything wrong, I always tend to get a little nervous whenever there's a cop behind me. You never know when you're going to get pulled over & harassed for having the wrong bumper sticker on your car.

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    Taking guns away from the 99% gives the 1% 100% of the power.
  3. What about trans people? by Pascoea · · Score: 5, Funny

    Maybe I haven't been paying enough attention. I thought weirdos using the wrong bathroom what what I was supposed to be scared of this week.

    Seriously though... Terrorists? That's what keeps you up at night? I'm more worried about the idiot driving next to me on his cell phone, or the list of 2000 other things that are more likely to personally affect my life. #2000 is something like "I wonder how nasty it is going to be behind my stove when I have to replace it." #2001 is probably "I need a new stove." Terrorism isn't even a blip on the radar. Maybe I'm naive, but I've got other shit to worry about right now.