Those predicting that there will be major cyber attacks causing widespread harm in the future gave the following reasons:

1 - Internet-connected systems are inviting targets. The Internet is a critical infrastructure for national defense activities, energy resources, banking/finance, transportation, and essential daily life pursuits for billions of people. The tools already exist to mount cyber attacks now, and they will improve in coming years, but countermeasures will improve, too.

2 - Security in general is not the first concern in the design of Internet applications. It seems as if the world will only wake up to these vulnerabilities after catastrophe occurs.

3 - Major cyber attacks have already happened. Examples are the Stuxnet worm and attacks in nations where mass opposition to a regime has taken to the streets. Similar or worse attacks are a given.

4 - Cyber attacks are a looming challenge for businesses and individuals. Certain sectors, such as finance and power systems, are the most vulnerable. There are noteworthy divides between the prepared and the unprepared.

Those predicting that there will not be major cyber attacks in the future gave the following reasons:

1 - There is steady progress in security fixes. Despite the Internet's vulnerabilities, a distributed network structure will help thwart the worst attacks. Security standards will be upgraded. The good guys will still be winning the cyber security arms race by 2025.

2 - Deterrence works. The threat of retaliation will keep the bad actors in check, and some bad actors are satisfied with making only small dents in the system, so they can keep mining a preferred vulnerability and not have it closed off.

3 - Hype over cyber attacks is an exaggeration of real dangers fostered by the individuals and organizations that will gain the most from creating an atmosphere of fear.