The gap between ransomware threats and the defenses meant to stop them is widening, with a significant disparity between the perceived threat level and preparedness, according to a recent report. Meanwhile, trust in artificial intelligence and the challenges faced by quantum computing companies are also making headlines, along with the complexities of immigration enforcement and the inner workings of Big Tech.
A 2026 Ivantis State of Cybersecurity Report revealed a growing "preparedness gap" in cybersecurity, with ransomware posing a particularly significant challenge. The report indicated that 63% of security professionals consider ransomware a high or critical threat, yet only 30% feel very prepared to defend against it, resulting in a 33-point gap, up from 29 points a year prior, according to VentureBeat. The report also highlighted that the most authoritative playbook framework has the same blind spots.
The issue is compounded by the sheer volume of machine identities within organizations. CyberArk's 2025 Identity Security Landscape reported 82 machine identities for every human employee, with 42% of those machine identities having privileged or sensitive access, according to VentureBeat.
In the realm of artificial intelligence, trust is becoming a central concern. A recent global KPMG study found that while two-thirds of people regularly use AI, fewer than half say they trust it, according to Fortune. The article also noted that when the primary objective is to cut costs and reduce headcount, AI can alienate customers and destroy trust.
Quantum computing companies are also facing challenges. All four publicly traded companies in the sector have been targeted by activist investors shorting their stock in the last 14 months, according to Fortune. D-Wave Quantum, IonQ, Rigetti Computing, and Quantum Computing Inc. all have market caps in the billions of dollars, which do not reflect the modest revenues generated by their day-to-day businesses. D-Wave CEO Alan Baratz acknowledged that short attacks are a hazard of the job.
Elsewhere, the complexities of immigration enforcement and the inner workings of Big Tech have also come to light. When border czar Tom Homan arrived in Minnesota in late January, he aimed to address problems for President Donald Trump, according to Time. Immigration agents had shot two people dead, and families were avoiding grocery stores due to widespread document sweeps. Homan met with state and local officials to repair the shredded trust.
In a separate story, Time reported on the inner workings of Big Tech. In 2015, Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg, while on his way to the United Nations General Assembly, asked his speechwriter about the U.N. According to his speechwriter, Dex Hunter-Torricke, Zuckerberg seemed fuzzy about key elements of the global order.
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