We have entered an era in which national security is not just about protecting the state against adversaries, but also against dangers that have a direct impact on the daily lives of people, write Aaron Shull and Wesley Wark.

It is one thing to receive the proverbial anonymous brown envelope under the door (or, more likely, in an email inbox). It is quite another, and beyond the pale, to hack into protected systems.

This isn’t a call for spying in the clandestine sense. But we do need a full exploitation of open sources, diplomatic reporting, messaging from high-level contacts — friendly and otherwise — and expert views.