Preparing for the worst [General Forecasts]

Terrorism will continue to increase and will become more problematic as extremists use IT to exploit our vulnerabilities. The key problem is that technology increasingly dominates both the economy and society, and this domination is the ultimate foundation for cyberwar. Positive feedback in technology development has put us on an accelerating path towards advanced technology that may ultimately be beyond human comprehension. Disruption of computer systems can now cause enormous harm, but we are still making systems more complex, more fragile, with more scope for disruption, by an increasingly large number of capable enemies. Well coordinated attacks could now knock out anything from car engines to power grids to defence systems.