Geopolitics and Cyberwarfare: What Every CISO Must Know in 2025

In 2025, geopolitical tension has transformed from traditional diplomacy into a digital battlefield. Nation-states now exploit cyber domains to destabilize economies, manipulate public opinion, and disrupt critical infrastructure. For CISOs and security leaders, understanding these evolving cyberwarfare tactics is no longer optional—it’s a strategic imperative.

FOR CISOS

7/1/20251 min read

Russia: Hybrid Warfare and Disinformation

Russia blends cyber operations with information warfare to achieve psychological, strategic, and infrastructural disruption. Using military intelligence agencies like the GRU and FSB, Russian APTs (e.g., APT28, Sandworm) have executed major attacks such as:

SolarWinds Breach: Compromised U.S. federal agencies through supply chain infiltration.
Colonial Pipeline Attack: A ransomware attack causing widespread fuel shortages.
German Wind Turbine Hack: Took 5,800 turbines offline via malicious software updates.

Russia's cyber doctrine emphasizes destabilizing democracies, exploiting public trust, and leveraging criminal proxies to maintain plausible deniability.

The Cyber Arms Race: Russia, China, and Iran

China: The Long Game of Cyber Supremacy

China aims for cyber dominance by stealing intellectual property and infiltrating critical infrastructure with persistent malware. Key elements of China’s approach include:

APT40 Operations: Coordinated attacks on U.S. and Australian infrastructure.
Microsoft Exchange Hack: A massive, low-skill exploit compromising 250,000 servers.
Volt Typhoon Campaign: Silent infiltration into energy, telecom, and water sectors with long-term destructive intent.

China's "Made in China 2025" initiative directly drives its cyber espionage campaigns targeting aerospace, biomedicine, quantum tech, and more.

Iran: Retaliatory and Destructive Campaigns

Iran’s strategy revolves around coercion, sabotage, and retaliatory strikes. Leveraging organizations like the IRGC and MOIS, Iran has demonstrated its growing capabilities through:

Shamoon Attack on Saudi Aramco: Wiped 35,000 computers.
DDoS on U.S. Banks (Ababil): Disrupted banking services in response to sanctions.
Dustman Malware Campaign: Targeted Bahrain's critical systems and U.S. websites post-Soleimani assassination.

Iran uses cyber warfare as a cost-effective means to retaliate against geopolitical adversaries, including attacks on election infrastructure and media.

The Role of Network Visibility in Defense

Nation-state attackers use encrypted communications, tunneling, and non-standard ports to evade detection. CISOs must invest in Network Detection and Response (NDR) solutions like ExtraHop RevealX, which offers:

Real-time decryption and traffic analysis
MITRE ATT&CK coverage for over 90% of network-based techniques
Deep visibility into lateral movement and command-and-control behavior

RevealX helps uncover stealthy adversaries before they escalate attacks, offering CISOs the intelligence and speed to act decisively.

Conclusion: Cyber Readiness is National Security

In an era where geopolitical conflict increasingly plays out in cyberspace, protecting infrastructure, intellectual property, and national interests requires CISO vigilance and strategic investment. Understanding adversary motivations, attack vectors, and adopting robust detection tools is key to ensuring operational resilience.