From Geopolitics to Deepfakes: Navigating threats in a turbulent world

In an era defined by geopolitical instability, rapid technological advancement, and increasingly complex global supply chains, cybersecurity threats are evolving faster than ever. This webinar explored the intersection of current affairs and cyber risk, highlighting how global events from conflicts and climate disasters to AI-driven scams are reshaping the threat landscape and business operations.

In this session, ISF senior analysts, Mark Ward and Francesca Williamson, explored and provided guidance on:

• The impact of global events and rising geopolitical tensions is having on cybersecurity
• Emerging AI related threats, such as AI-generated attacks and deepfakes
• How malicious actors are exploiting current global affairs to attack vulnerable supply chains.

Meet the Speakers:

Mark Ward is a Senior Research Analyst at the ISF who has been lead author on the last two editions of the flagship Threat Horizon report.

Before joining the ISF, Mark worked as a journalist for a variety of mainstream publications, including the Daily Telegraph and New Scientist. He spent 20 years at the BBC covering technology news for the corporation’s website. During that stint in the newsroom, he cultivated a strong interest in all aspects of cyber security – its history, practice and its increasingly criminal focus. That knowledge has been augmented with an understanding of how information security is practised and the gumption and grit required to help organisations prosper in spite of the cyber threats ranged against them.

Francesca Williamson is a Senior Analyst in the Tools and Methodologies team and is the Product Manager for the Supplier Security tool. Francesca led the development of v2 of the Supplier Security tool, which now provides comprehensive coverage of the entire supplier management process. She is passionate about advocating for increased diversity across cyber security, and has been involved in a variety of initiatives to help achieve this, including chairing a panel discussion aimed at addressing barriers of access and encouraging more women to join the industry.