I agree, Jamie.

One of the duties for an "Intelligence Service" is the dissemination of disinformation.

While the US "Project Blue Book" was investigating UFO claims they were simultaneously disparaging reported speeds and accelerations. Then when the specs for the stealth fighter were revealed it seen to be quite capable of the behaviour reported and it became obvious that some of the "UFO" claims were in fact accidental civilian observations of experimental aircraft. (Of course, most of the claims ARE still from loonies... )

There is definitely a lag, and the larger you can keep it, the greater the advantage for you...if you really think you know everything your own military is capable of, then either their intelligence has failed, or yours has...

Keep your friends close, and/but your enemies and/or competition closer

"There is a lag of three and eight years between the capabilities developed by advanced intelligence agencies and the capabilities available for purchase or rental in the cybercrime black market."

Nick,

That may or may not be the case depending upon one solo thing ..... whether advanced intelligence agencies purchase available capabilities .... which would be akin to them paying Danegeld, but even so, it would be worth every red cent given the losses and damage that can so easily be wrought remotely from the Space which is dismissed so lightly as being so very unlikely, for it may be, and is, a catastrophic arrogance to imagine that advanced intelligence agencies have a monopoly and future lead on advanced intelligence.

But it is really nothing to worry about, because such monies as would be paid are a valuable internal investment whenever it can also reveal the Achilles Heels which will bring Systems and the System crashing to the ground.