New research shows that the massive increase in government debt in the US and other countries since the financial crisis of 2007-2009, has created a situation in which a targeted cyber attack could propel the global economy into crisis.
The weak link that threat actors could attack to seriously damage the US and global economy, is the “repo” market in which Treasury bonds and other government securities are traded through repurchase agreements (repo’s) to provide liquidity for equity and other markets. The increasingly important role of the “repo” market in assuring liquidity, means that a cyber attack affecting repo records could have devastating consequences.