In a recent article from The Register, former White House cybersecurity advisor Rob Knake issued a stark warning: cybercrime has grown to become “orders of magnitude” larger than the threat posed by nation-state hackers. While headlines often focus on espionage or state-sponsored sabotage, it’s organized cybercriminals—not foreign governments—who are doing the most damage to businesses today.
This shift demands a serious rethink of how companies approach cybersecurity.
Cybercrime is Now the Bigger Threat
Knake, who served during the Biden administration, emphasized that we are miscalculating where the greatest cyber risk lies. While geopolitical tensions and cyberwarfare capture the public's attention, the real threat hitting businesses day after day is financially motivated cybercrime.
According to Knake:
“We're talking about something that is orders of magnitude larger than the nation-state problem. And yet most of our cyber strategy is focused on the nation-state.”
He points out that entire criminal organizations operate like corporations, with advanced toolkits, professional development models, and supply chains that deliver everything from ransomware to access-as-a-service. These aren’t lone hackers; they are well-funded, fast-moving, and profit-driven groups that outpace traditional cybersecurity defenses.
Why Current Defenses Keep Failing
The article underscores a critical reality: traditional cybersecurity strategies—especially those relying heavily on "detect and respond" tools like antivirus, EDR, and SIEM—simply cannot keep up. These solutions depend on identifying known threats or anomalies, which puts defenders perpetually one step behind.
Cybercriminals, on the other hand, are getting faster and more agile. They develop polymorphic malware that changes its signature with every deployment, and they’re increasingly using AI to adapt in real time.
Detection systems weren’t designed to stop novel or unknown attacks. As a result, businesses using only reactive security tools are at constant risk of being breached before a response can even be initiated.
A Smarter, Proven Approach: Isolation and Containment
This is where a prevention-first approach becomes essential. Instead of trying to chase down threats after they've already entered your systems, why not stop them from executing in the first place?
That’s exactly what AppGuard does.
AppGuard is a proven endpoint protection platform that operates on the principles of isolation and containment—not detection. It blocks malware before it can run, without relying on signatures or behavioral analysis. This means even if ransomware or a zero-day exploit lands on a device, AppGuard prevents it from causing harm.
AppGuard has a 10-year track record of success, protecting both government agencies and commercial enterprises. Now available to the broader business community, it offers a practical way to close the gap between evolving threats and outdated defenses.
The Bottom Line for Business Owners
Knake’s warning should be a wake-up call for every business leader: the threat landscape is no longer dominated by shadowy foreign governments—it’s run by professional cybercriminals looking for profit. If your business relies solely on tools that “detect and respond,” you’re betting on being fast enough to react after the damage is already done.
It’s time to switch to a proactive strategy that prevents damage before it starts.
Let’s Talk About Real Cybersecurity
At CHIPS, we help businesses move beyond legacy thinking and embrace a more effective security model using AppGuard.
Don’t wait for the next ransomware headline to hit too close to home. Let’s talk about how AppGuard’s isolation and containment technology can protect your business—no detection required.
👉 Contact us at CHIPS today to see how AppGuard can make your cybersecurity strategy proactive, not reactive.
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