Skip to main content Currently Reading The Colonial Pipeline ransomware attack and the SolarWinds hack were all but inevitable - why national cyber defense is a 'wicked' problem Terry Thompson, Johns Hopkins University May 10, 2021 FacebookTwitterEmail Terry Thompson, Johns Hopkins University (THE CONVERSATION) Takeaways: · Software supply chains and private sector infrastructure companies are vulnerable to hackers. · Many U.S. companies outsource software development because of a talent shortage, and some of that outsourcing goes to companies in Eastern Europe that are vulnerable to Russian operatives. · U.S. national cyber defense is split between the Department of Defense and the Department of Homeland Security, which leaves gaps in authority.