Managing business in today's geopolitical context
In the face of a geopolitical crisis, concerns are growing about the threat of cyber-attacks to global supply chains and private organizations, which are already in a precarious state due to the Covid-19 pandemic. When a crisis occurs, business continuity and corporate resilience are essential. Both require a company-wide response. In this context, geopolitical risk assessments are integral to a secure IT environment.
With the advent of cyberspace, state and non-state actors have been willing to challenge the political and economic order by using both conventional and unconventional means. Through the use of unconventional methods, in particular cyber-attacks, state-sponsored actors and hacktivists can achieve relative geopolitical and economic gains without the use of force. Data breaches, espionage, sabotage, misinformation, supply-chain disruptions, and cyber-attacks are some examples of unconventional means used by attackers. If cyberspace enables a new sphere for state and non-state actors to engage, are cyber-attacks the continuation of politics with other means?
Countering politically motivated cybercrime
Politically motivated cyber-attacks, however, are not easy to detect because the emergence of a “grey zone” makes it difficult to distinguish between a non-intentional failure or a malfunction from a cyber-attack. The emergence of private actors in cyberspace further complicates this issue because it is unclear if an attack on a private entity constitutes an attack against a state. If a mechanical failure or denial or service occurs during a period of geopolitical tension, the possibility of escalation and conflict could arise.
In addition, politically motivated hacktivists may pose a threat to corporate reputation by using social media to harm an organization and spread misinformation. Because of hacktivists' high visibility, organizations must increase their efforts in crisis communication and internal response. Although hacktivists do not have the same level of sophistication as nation-states, they are usually less concerned about hiding their online tracks and tend to be much more vocal.
A Shared Responsibility: Public/Private partnership in cyberspace
Given the current geopolitical climate, every organization must act with extreme urgency to secure its information technology infrastructures. As rogue nations continue to foster an environment for cybercriminals and ransomware attackers to thrive, organizations need to be prepared and build a strong security foundation while encouraging public-private sector cooperation regarding cyber threats.
To improve cybersecurity in key industries and critical infrastructure, organizations in the private sector need to be prepared for an unprecedented level of malicious cyber activities and work together with the public sector to protect critical assets. As we clearly saw in the SolarWind case, a breach can result in a national security crisis regardless of how small the company is.
European Identity and Cloud (EIC) conference
Because we understand the importance of protecting critical assets, and because we are committed to helping your organization succeed, KuppingerCole has a great deal of content available in a variety of formats, including live events such as the 2022 KuppingerCole European Identity and Cloud (EIC) conference taking place in Berlin and online in May.
The agenda includes keynote presentations and panel discussions on Assessing the Business Impact of Russia’s Invasion of Ukraine, Reinventing Government with Technology, Future Government: Transforming Public Services to Be More Agile and Innovative, Zero Trust Best Practices, and The Changing Cyber Threat Landscape, as well as other cyber security-related presentations including:
- Software Security and the Software Supply Chain: Must-do’s for every organization
- Strategic Approaches for Deploying Zero Trust
- The SolarWinds Hack and the Executive Order on Cybersecurity happened - It is time to prepare
To find out more about the offerings in these markets and how to select the product that are best suited to your organization, have a look at the following Leadership Compasses: