You could target people by implanting some kind of flaw that causes their personal devices to critically malfunction.” But with digital becoming physical, you could implant weaknesses into airplanes, into military tanks, into buildings. "Right now, if you have a cyber hack, then, worst-case scenario, your information gets compromised and you have to cancel a credit card or fight some kind of identity theft,” said Troy Smith, an associate economist at RAND and co-author of the paper. The result could be a new kind of threat: cyber sabotage in the physical world. The drone lurched to one side, wobbled, and plummeted to the ground, shattering on impact. Hackers Could Use Printers to Cause Real-World Damageįor one minute and 43 seconds, nothing about the small drone's flight seemed unusual. Here are four areas to watch as 3D printing makes the leap from high tech to home tech. The same machines that allow astronauts on the international space station to print their own tools might also help a state like North Korea print military or industrial equipment to get around international sanctions. The same technology that might one day custom-print heart valves can just as easily produce gun parts.
The paper is part of RAND's Security 2040 initiative, which looks over the horizon to anticipate future threats. But as with any technological advance, new possibilities come with new perils.Ī new RAND paper, Additive Manufacturing in 2040: Powerful Enabler, Disruptive Threat, explores how 3D printers will affect personal, national, and international security. 3D printers already produce everything from prosthetic hands and engine parts to basketball shoes and fancy chocolates.