A Year of Elections in an Unstable World – Part 1

Executive summary

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As over two billion people prepare to go to the polls around the world in 2024, the digital sphere has become the go-to battleground.

Experts warn of an uptick in state-sponsored cyber attacks. For businesses of all sizes and industry sectors, there's a heightened risk of getting caught in the crossfire.

Meanwhile, a campaign of disinformation, increasingly fueled by artificial intelligence (AI), is causing growing distrust in public and private institutions.

Scenario planning, robust cybersecurity, and crisis and continuity management are key to navigating this uncertain and polarizing environment.

From an insurance perspective, question marks remain over how Cyber insurance policies will respond to state-sponsored cyber attacks.

In the second part of this series, Spotlight will explore how the "Super Bowl of election years" could prompt civil unrest in many countries and how organizations should prepare.

Insights

• National elections are taking place in 64 countries around the world in 2024, and AI-fueled disinformation campaigns are ramping up.
• Over time, disinformation erodes trust in public institutions and affects how organizations are perceived and governed.
• Against a backdrop of increasingly unstable geopolitics and global conflicts, the frequency and severity of cyber warfare is also expected to grow.
• Businesses could be exposed to spillover attacks from state-sponsored intrusions, in addition to malware targeting software supply chains.
• Cyber insurance buyers should stress test how their policies are likely to respond in the event of a spillover attack.