Why Governments Can't Win the Next Cyber War Alone

Jan de Vries · 2026-08-07

The next big cyber attack won't care about borders. It won't pause for a government shutdown, and it definitely won't wait for committees to reach a consensus. That's the uncomfortable truth Steve Durbin, a long-time voice in cybersecurity leadership, lays out in a recent piece that's making the rounds. His core argument? If we're serious about defending our digital infrastructure, governments need to stop treating the private sector like a vendor and start treating it like a partner in arms. ### The AI Threat Multiplier Here's the thing about artificial intelligence: it doesn't sleep, and neither do the bad guys using it. AI has turned what used to be a slow, manual process of finding vulnerabilities into an automated, lightning-fast hunt. Attackers can now scan thousands of systems in minutes, craft phishing emails that sound eerily human, and adapt their tactics in real time. Traditional defense methods, which rely on known signatures and human analysts, just can't keep pace. The gap between offense and defense is widening, and it's not just about technology. It's about speed. A private company might spot a novel attack pattern at 2 a.m. on a Tuesday. By the time that information trickles through government channels and gets shared with other agencies, the damage could already be done. That lag is a luxury we can't afford. ### Why the Private Sector Holds the Keys Let's be honest: the most advanced cybersecurity talent on the planet isn't working for a federal agency. It's working for companies like Microsoft, Google, and a thousand smaller firms you've never heard of. These organizations see more attack traffic in a single day than most government networks see in a year. They have the telemetry, the threat intelligence, and the real-world experience of defending against relentless, sophisticated adversaries. Governments, on the other hand, are often bogged down by procurement rules, legacy systems, and a culture that values secrecy over sharing. That's not a criticism, it's just reality. The private sector moves fast because it has to. A data breach costs money, reputation, and customers. That urgency breeds innovation. So, what would a real partnership look like? It's not just about signing a memorandum of understanding. It's about creating a two-way street where threat data flows freely, where joint exercises are routine, and where legal liability protections encourage companies to share what they know without fear of being sued into oblivion. ### Breaking Down the Silos Right now, information sharing is often reactive and fragmented. A company might report an incident to one agency, but that data doesn't automatically reach the sectors that need it most. We need a system that's less like a series of silos and more like a nervous system, where a signal in one part of the body triggers a response everywhere else. This isn't about government overreach. It's about collective defense. Think of it like a neighborhood watch, but for the entire digital economy. If your neighbor's house gets broken into, you want to know about it immediately so you can lock your doors and turn on your lights. The same logic applies to cyber threats. ### The Cost of Inaction Here's the bottom line: the next major cyber war won't be fought with missiles. It'll be fought with code, and it will target the systems that keep our lights on, our hospitals running, and our economy moving. The cost of a successful attack isn't just measured in dollars, it's measured in trust, safety, and even lives. We can't afford to wait for a catastrophic event to force us into action. The partnerships need to be built now, before the next wave of AI-powered attacks hits. It's a hard problem, but it's not an impossible one. It just requires leaders on both sides to swallow their pride, share what they know, and work together like the stakes actually matter. Because they do.