© 2026 ABC News

The same thing is true for the U.S. government, which, back in 2008, reduced 4000 cyber access points to just 50 to make it harder for enemies to access the U.S. cyber systems.

To do so, the U.S. government spends more than anyone else on cyber security -- as of 2017 spending more than $28 billion.

\"PHOTO:
Obtained by ABC News
PHOTO: Evgeny Buyakov, seen in an ID photo obtained by ABC News, was arrested in early 2015 and faced criminal conspiracy charges related to spying.
>

While the Chinese and Russians have traditionally had the most aggressive foreign spying operations, numerous other nations also target the U.S.’s vital institutions and defenses, and America's corporations for information.

As our national intelligence network is fully immerses itself in trying to detect and defend against all types of espionage, one thing is certain: despite the available technologies, people will still be the best bulwark of defense in future counterintelligence wars.

Donald J. Mihalek is an ABC News contributor, retired senior Secret Service agent and regional field training instructor who also serves as the executive vice president of the Federal Law Enforcement Officers Association Foundation.

Richard Frankel is an ABC News contributor, retired FBI special agent who was the Special Agent in-Charge of the FBI’s Newark Division, and prior to that, Special Agent-in-Charge of the FBI’s New York Joint Terrorism Task Force. He is currently the Vice President of Investigation for T&M Protection Services.

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