What's Happening?
At the Infosecurity Europe 2026 conference, Bharat Thakrar, a board director at ISACA’s London Chapter, emphasized the inseparability of cyber, AI, and geopolitics. He highlighted the need for executives and Chief Information Security Officers (CISOs)
to treat cybersecurity threats as geopolitical issues rather than mere IT problems. Thakrar referenced the 2014 Sony Pictures Entertainment data breach and more recent attacks on Viasat in Ukraine and Stryker in 2026 as examples of how private companies can become targets of state-aligned actors. He warned about covert foreign IT worker schemes, particularly from North Korea, which could lead to insider threats. Thakrar proposed a Cyber Geopolitical Preparedness and Response (CGPR) framework to help organizations manage these risks. This framework includes assessing exposure, evaluating readiness, planning responses, and continuous monitoring. He also recommended organizations prepare for DEFCON 1 and 2-level scenarios and conduct geopolitical stress tests to better handle prolonged nation-state campaigns.
Why It's Important?
The increasing intersection of cyber threats and geopolitical tensions poses significant risks to U.S. businesses and national security. By treating cybersecurity as a geopolitical issue, companies can better prepare for and respond to sophisticated attacks that may have state-level backing. This approach is crucial as cyber threats become more intertwined with physical operations, potentially leading to kinetic disruptions. The emphasis on geopolitical preparedness highlights the need for comprehensive strategies that go beyond technical solutions, involving HR, legal, and operational teams. This shift in perspective can help organizations protect critical assets, maintain operational continuity, and safeguard sensitive information against complex threats. The call for enhanced vetting and tighter access controls also underscores the importance of internal security measures in preventing insider threats.
What's Next?
Organizations are encouraged to implement the CGPR framework and conduct regular geopolitical stress tests to assess their readiness for nation-state level cyber campaigns. Executives and CISOs should prepare for potential shifts to heightened security states, akin to DEFCON levels, to ensure rapid response capabilities. This includes accelerating patching, scaling security operations, and hardening identity controls. Companies may also need to adjust their crisis management plans to account for the hybrid nature of modern threats, which combine cyber and physical elements. As geopolitical tensions continue to influence cyber threat landscapes, businesses must remain vigilant and proactive in their cybersecurity strategies.
