The Geopolitical Reshaping: Cybersecurity’s Double-Edged Sword

Tariffs, Tensions, and the New Digital Arms Race—How CISOs Are Fighting, planning and preparing in 2025

As the host of the CyberHub Podcast and a seasoned Chief Information Security Officer, I’ve had a front-row seat to the evolving cybersecurity landscape—one increasingly intertwined with geopolitics. Today, in 2025, we’re witnessing a seismic shift in global power dynamics, driven by escalating tensions, failing international frameworks, and the strategic use of cybercrime as a political lever. Add to this mix the reintroduction of tariffs as economic weapons, and you’ve got a recipe for both unprecedented challenges and surprising advantages for cybersecurity professionals. Let’s break it down.

The Failure of Global Bodies and the Rise of Cybercrime as Leverage

“I skate to where the puck is going to be, not where it has been.” — Wayne Gretzky
(Quoted by Eric Schmidt, Executive Chairman of Alphabet, highlighting the need to stay ahead of threats.)

If you want an analogy for cyberspace in today’s geopolitical climate,