---
title: "Gallup Poll on America's Biggest Fears: Cyber Terrorism Is #2"
description: America's top 3 fears. List of America's top fears. Cyberterror is number 2 fear in the United States.
---

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# [Gallup Poll on America's Biggest Fears: Cyber Terrorism Is #2](https://www.secureworld.io/industry-news/gallup-poll-majority-of-americans-worried-about-cyberterrorism)

 Written by [SecureWorld News Team](https://www.secureworld.io/industry-news/author/secureworld-news-team) | Tue | Jul 10, 2018 | 1:30 PM Z

A recent Gallup poll that asked Americans what they fear most shows how quickly cyber *insecurity* has risen to the mainstream.

[The poll](http://news.gallup.com/poll/228437/north-korea-cyberterrorism-top-threats.aspx?utm_source=alert&utm_medium=email&utm_content=morelink&utm_campaign=syndication), conducted  in Q1 2018, came up with the top three things Americans fear as a "critical threat."

1. 82%: Development of nuclear weapons by North Korea
2. 81%: Cyber terrorism—the use of computers to cause disruption or fear in society
3. 75%: International terrorism

Cyber terror and nuclear war neck and neck? Is there any more indication that cyber truly is an existential warfare domain?

#### **Worst case scenario involving cyber terror**

One thing that is unclear from the study results is how, exactly, respondents define cyber terror. This could mean different things to different people. 

I recently interviewed a man who knows a lot about the possibilities and worst case scenarios.

Former Director of Operations at U.S. Cyber Command, Major General (Ret.) Brett Williams, spoke at [SecureWorld Detroit](https://www.secureworld.io/events), where he told me what he fears the most in the cyber domain:

"We should be concerned with a very comprehensive attack, that doesn't have a devastating effect on any one area, but in combination has a significant impact."

Williams is co-founder and COO of IronNet Cybersecurity. He also talked to us about [America's top three cyber threats](https://youtu.be/8DjSxzKRob8).

[View full post](https://www.secureworld.io/industry-news/gallup-poll-majority-of-americans-worried-about-cyberterrorism)

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