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Saloni Nanwate, AVP – Security Engineering, Protectt.ai Labs Pvt Ltd

India’s digital economy now lives on the smartphone. Banking, investing, healthcare consultations, shopping, even government services all sit inside mobile applications that people use dozens of times a day. For businesses this shift has unlocked enormous reach and convenience. It has also created a new reality for cybersecurity. Attackers are no longer trying only to break into enterprise networks or data centres. Increasingly they are going after the mobile applications where transactions actually happen. That is where money moves, identities are verified, and sensitive customer data lives. For industries such as banking, fintech and digital commerce, the mobile application has quietly become the most exposed point in the entire technology stack.

The Growing Cyber Risk in Mobile First Platforms

Mobile apps run on devices that companies do not control. Each user’s phone can have a different operating system version, different security posture and sometimes even malicious software already present. From a security perspective, this makes the mobile environment unpredictable. Cybercriminals are taking advantage of this reality. Instead of attacking infrastructure directly, they manipulate how apps behave once they are running on the device. Techniques such as reverse engineering, runtime tampering, session hijacking and overlay attacks allow attackers to interfere with legitimate app behaviour without triggering traditional security systems. Many organisations still rely heavily on perimeter defences that protect networks and backend infrastructure. But once an application is operating on a user’s device, that perimeter no longer exists. This is why mobile security strategies are gradually shifting toward protection mechanisms that are embedded directly within the application itself. Technologies such as runtime application self protection are becoming essential in this model. By monitoring application behaviour during execution, these systems allow apps to detect tampering, malicious tools or suspicious environments and respond immediately. In simple terms, the app becomes capable of defending itself while it is running.

Women Leaders Are Helping Redefine Cybersecurity Thinking

While the cyber threat landscape is evolving quickly, the cybersecurity industry itself is also changing. One of the most encouraging shifts has been the growing presence of women in leadership roles across cybersecurity and digital risk management. Cybersecurity is often viewed purely as a technical discipline. In reality it is equally about strategy, foresight and understanding human behaviour. Women leaders are increasingly shaping how organisations think about these dimensions of security. In the context of mobile platforms this perspective becomes particularly important. Securing digital ecosystems is not just about deploying tools. It requires understanding how users interact with applications, how fraudsters exploit human behaviour and how security can be built into digital experiences without frustrating legitimate users. Across the industry many women leaders are pushing organisations to adopt a security by design mindset. Instead of treating security as something that is added later, they advocate integrating protection throughout the application lifecycle. Security considerations begin during development, continue through testing and remain active even after the application reaches users. This approach reflects a broader shift in cybersecurity thinking. Prevention is no longer enough. Detection and response must happen continuously and in real time.

Building a Stronger Cybersecurity Ecosystem

Another area where women leaders are making a significant impact is collaboration. Cyber threats rarely respect industry boundaries. Attackers share tools and techniques across regions and sectors, which means defenders must do the same. Many women leaders are actively encouraging stronger collaboration between enterprises, security researchers, regulators and technology providers. Knowledge sharing and cross industry dialogue are becoming increasingly important in identifying emerging threats before they spread widely. At the same time the industry faces a growing shortage of cybersecurity professionals. Encouraging more women to enter the field is not only about diversity. It is about strengthening the talent pool needed to defend an increasingly complex digital ecosystem. As India continues its transition toward a mobile driven digital economy, trust will remain the foundation of every digital interaction. Every secure transaction, every protected user session and every resilient mobile application contributes to maintaining that trust. It’s a moment to truly appreciate and recognise the incredible women shaping the future of cybersecurity. Through leadership, innovation and collaboration they are strengthening the defenses that protect millions of digital users every day. The next phase of digital growth will depend not only on new technologies but also on the people guiding how those technologies are secured. Women leaders are playing a vital role in ensuring that the mobile ecosystems powering today’s digital economy remain safe, resilient and trustworthy.

Cyber operations no longer occur only during wartime. Digital activity now runs continuously alongside diplomacy, sanctions, and military tensions. This has become particularly visible amid escalating hostilities involving Iran, Israel, and the United States, where intelligence agencies have warned of possible retaliatory cyber activity linked to the conflict. In this environment, cyber warfare 2026 is highlighted by persistent nation-state cyberattacks, covert intrusion campaigns, and strategic influence operations.  Governments, telecommunications networks, cloud platforms, and identity systems have become the primary targets. Threat researchers point to three converging factors: ongoing state-sponsored cyber threats, a mature cybercriminal ecosystem that sells infrastructure and access, and automation technologies that enable scalable phishing, impersonation, and cyber espionage 2026 operations.  These dynamics have turned cyberspace into a strategic domain of conflict. Espionage, disruption, influence operations, and financial crime frequently overlap, reflecting the realities of hybrid warfare cybersecurity. As geopolitical tensions rise, organizations face geopolitical cyber risk, where real-world conflicts are mirrored in the digital domain. 

Cyber Warfare 2026: What We Know So Far 

From 2025 to 2026, the global threat environment has produced several notable signals indicating how modern cyber conflict is evolving. Threat intelligence monitoring of underground forums revealed multiple offers of high-value system access throughout 2025. Examples include widely confirmed events, like on January 9, 2026, the cybercrime collective ShinyHunters published a manifesto alongside the leaked database of the BreachForums platform, exposing metadata for 323,986 users, including email addresses, hashed passwords, IP addresses, and registration details. Analysts believe some data may have been intentionally falsified for operational security.  Vulnerability exploitation also intensified. In February 2026, Microsoft patched six actively exploited zero-day vulnerabilities affecting components including SmartScreen, Windows Desktop Window Manager, and Remote Desktop Services. Soon afterward, the U.S. Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency added VMware Aria Operations vulnerability CVE-2026-22719 to its Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog due to confirmed exploitation in the wild.  By March 10, 2026, intelligence reporting warned of potential retaliatory cyber activity connected to escalating tensions involving Iran. Following the warning, cyber activity linked to the conflict increased across the Middle East. After the February 2026 U.S.–Israel strikes against Iranian targets, security researchers reported a surge of retaliatory cyber operations and hacktivist campaigns targeting organizations in Israel, the United States, and allied countries. Analysts tracked dozens of incidents ranging from distributed-denial-of-service attacks and website defacements to alleged data breaches claimed by pro-Iranian and pro-Palestinian hacker groups.  Several groups publicly promoted operations such as “#Op_Israel_USA,” claiming attacks against Israeli telecom services, government websites, and Western organizations. Hacktivist collectives, including Handala Hack and Dark Storm Team, used Telegram and underground forums to claim responsibility for disruptions and alleged system compromises. 

Decoding Nation-State Cyberattacks 

China-Linked Cyber Espionage Campaigns 

Strategic espionage still exists as one of the most consistent features of cyber espionage in 2026. National threat assessments highlight that state actors, including China, are almost certainly attempting to cause a disruptive effect and manipulate industrial control systems in support of broader strategic goals.  Government networks, research institutions, and emerging technology sectors remain priority targets. Telecommunications infrastructure has also become a major collection point because it offers both intelligence visibility and operational leverage.  Threat intelligence summaries from the telecom sector, specifically, from Cyble’s Telecommunications Sector Threat Landscape Report 2025, documented 444 security incidents and 90 ransomware attacks against telecom companies in 2025 alone. The concentration of activity reinforces telecom networks as a strategic surveillance layer for nation-state cyberattacks. 

Russia-Linked Operations and Military Intelligence Campaigns 

Russian cyber operations have remained closely tied to geopolitical conflict, particularly in Europe and regions affected by the war in Ukraine. Security research identified activity consistent with the Russian threat group APT28 targeting government and military entities using a Microsoft Office vulnerability, CVE-2026-21509. The campaign reportedly involved a multi-stage attack chain designed to remain stealthy during post-exploitation phases.  Another example involved attackers weaponizing a previously patched WinRAR vulnerability (CVE-2025-8088). Even after patches become available, such flaws frequently remain exploitable due to slow enterprise patch adoption, making them attractive tools in state-sponsored cyber threats. 

North Korea and Financially Motivated Cyber Operations 

North Korean cyber activity continues to blur the line between espionage and organized crime. One of the most widely reported examples involved the attribution of a $1.5 billion cryptocurrency theft from Bybit in February 2025 to the Lazarus Group.  Financial theft serves both economic and strategic purposes for the North Korean state. At the same time, identity-based fraud has become another operational method.  

The New Digital Battlefield 

Critical infrastructure still exists a primary target in cyber warfare 2026, with industrial control systems (ICS) and operational technology networks at high risk of manipulation by state actors to disrupt public administration, utilities, and transportation systems.   While detailed technical disclosures of confirmed sabotage are limited, attackers increasingly focus on cloud and identity systems, exploiting stolen credentials, authentication tokens, and legitimate administrative tools to move laterally and gain broad access.   Supply chains further amplify systemic risk, as compromises of third-party vendors can cascade across multiple organizations, making supply-chain attacks an efficient vector for nation-state cyberattacks, particularly against critical infrastructure and government networks. 

AI and the Evolution of Cyber Operations 

Artificial intelligence is reshaping the cyber threat landscape, although its direct role in confirmed state operations remains difficult to measure.  Threat intelligence monitoring shows the rise of Deepfake-as-a-Service markets and advertisements offering identity verification bypass tools or synthetic video generation. In 2025, deepfakes were involved in more than 30 percent of high-impact corporate impersonation attacks.  Phishing campaigns are also becoming more automated. The CCAPAC Annual Report 2025 indicates that 82.6 percent of phishing emails now contain AI-generated elements, enabling attackers to scale highly convincing impersonation attempts.  Malware development may also be changing. Security researchers have reported experimental malware families capable of modifying behavior during attacks using language-model-based components. While technical documentation remains limited, such developments hint at how automation could shape future cyber warfare 2026 strategies.  Another area of rapid change is vulnerability discovery. AI-assisted code analysis has already demonstrated the ability to locate hundreds of severe software vulnerabilities in open-source projects within short timeframes, accelerating both defensive research and offensive exploitation. 

The Vulnerability Landscape Driving Modern Cyber Conflict 

Software vulnerabilities remain one of the most reliable entry points for attackers.  Examples from 2026 include: 

• CVE-2026-24423, a remote code execution vulnerability in SmarterMail exploited in ransomware campaigns. 
• CVE-2026-22719, a VMware Aria Operations command-injection flaw actively exploited in the wild. 
• CVE-2026-2441, the first actively exploited Chrome zero-day reported in 2026. 

Security researchers documented 90 zero-day vulnerabilities exploited in 2025, nearly half of which targeted enterprise technology systems. The pace of discovery continues to accelerate. One vulnerability monitoring report tracked 1,782 vulnerabilities disclosed in a single week, including 282 public proof-of-concept exploits. This quick weaponization cycle increases geopolitical cyber risk, as attackers can quickly convert newly discovered flaws into operational tools. 

Conclusion 

In 2026, digital conflict is a permanent part of global competition, with state-sponsored cyber threats exploiting supply chains, identity systems, and critical infrastructure to expand geopolitical risk. Criminal ecosystems further blur espionage and financially motivated attacks, complicating attribution. Cyble delivers AI-powered threat intelligence and autonomous defense through platforms like Cyble Blaze AI, giving organizations real-time visibility, automated protection, and proactive mitigation. Book a personalized demo today to stay protected from modern cyber threats. 

References: 

• https://cybersecuritynews.com/breachforums-hack/ 
• https://thecyberexpress.com/microsoft-patch-tuesday-february-2026/ 
• https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-22719 
• https://abc17news.com/politics/national-politics/cnn-us-politics/2026/03/10/us-intelligence-community-ramps-up-warnings-of-possible-retaliatory-attacks-by-iran/ 
• https://industrialcyber.co/reports/cyber-retaliation-surges-after-us-israel-strikes-on-iran-as-hacktivists-hit-governments-defense-critical-sectors/ 
• https://www.intel471.com/blog/israeli-us-strikes-against-iran-triggers-a-surge-in-hacktivist-activity 
• https://cyble.com/resources/research-reports/telecommunications-sector-threat-landscape-report-2025/ 
• https://www.helpnetsecurity.com/2026/02/03/russian-hackers-are-exploiting-recently-patched-microsoft-office-vulnerability-cve-2026-21509/ 
• https://www.thaicert.or.th/en/2026/01/29/winrar-vulnerability-cve-2025-8088-continues-to-be-actively-exploited-by-hackers/ 
• https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/feb/27/north-korea-bybit-crypto-exchange-hack-fbi 
• https://ccapac.asia/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/CCAPAC_AnnualReport2025_AIcybersecTrendsThreatsSolutions.pdf 
• https://www.cybersecuritydive.com/news/half-exploited-zero-day-flaws-enterprise-grade-technology/814021/ 

Collaboration is more important than ever—and doable—according to the WEF’s Global Security Outlook 2026 report. 

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Ask CISOs why they think there is a cyber skills shortage in their organization, what keeps them up at night or what the most important issue facing the industry is — at some point, even if not the first response, they will bring up budgets.

For example, at RSA Conference 2024, a roundtable discussion about issues facing the cybersecurity industry, one CISO stated bluntly that budgets — or lack thereof — are the biggest problem. At a time when everything is getting more expensive, the CISO said, security budgets are being slashed.

As for the cybersecurity talent shortage, the 2024 ISC2 Cybersecurity Workforce Study noted that “39% said a lack of budget was the top reason for cyber shortages, replacing a shortage of talent as the previous top reason for staff shortages.” According to Forrester’s 2024 Cybersecurity Benchmarks Global Report, the cybersecurity budget is just 5.7% of the entire IT budget, making it very difficult for CISOs to bring in the right personnel or upgrade tools and solutions.

However, it might not be the dollar amount that is the problem as much as where the budget is coming from. CEOs think about cybersecurity differently when it is tied to IT and when the CISO reports directly to the CIO versus when the CISO can present cybersecurity as a vital cog in overall business operations and tie it directly to business risk, the Forrester report found.

“CISOs who can articulate the business value of cybersecurity, demonstrating how it can drive revenue and support strategic goals, are more likely to secure the necessary funding. This shift also reflects a growing recognition of cybersecurity’s strategic importance beyond mere IT operations,” Louis Columbus wrote.

Key issues in cybersecurity funding

Once cybersecurity is approached as a key factor in business operations rather than as a function of IT, CEOs and CISOs are more likely to be on the same page when it comes to budget.

“Security funding and oversight is a top priority for both the management team and the Board of Directors,” said Dave Gerry, CEO of Bugcrowd.

“Cybersecurity investment uplift is prioritized against the cyber threats we face as a business; the IT risks that we have identified and need to remediate or the customer and compliance obligations that we need to ensure,” Gerry added. “Thematically, however, it all points back to ensuring that the confidentiality, integrity and availability of our data we reside over is protected — whether it’s that of customers, employees or critical business partners, whilst enabling our business in-turn.”

Risk prioritization and business continuity are two key areas that George Jones, CISO at Critical Start, focuses on. Along with emerging threats and vulnerability management, Jones says these four items are the pillars of security for the enterprise as they are aligned with overall business goals and objectives.

One of the drivers behind realigning cybersecurity investments is the Security and Exchange Commission’s (SEC) new rules around the disclosure of cybersecurity incidents. Organizations are now also required to share details about their cybersecurity risk management programs, particularly around any financial information.

“After recent SEC guidelines were announced, Boards are more focused than ever on cyber risk reduction and ensuring adequate funding is critical, especially as organization’s attack surfaces continue to rapidly expand,” said Gerry.

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Collaboration between CISOs and CEOs

While CISOs and CEOs (and, in many cases, in conjunction with the CFO) have to build an ongoing dialogue about cybersecurity investments, they are coming to the table with two different interests.

“The CEO lens will be focused on obtaining satisfaction that the security initiatives deliver value with tolerable impacts on productivity, but more importantly looking for the potential of competitive advantage,” said Gareth Lindahl-Wise, CISO at Ontinue. The CISO’s approach, on the other hand, focuses on risk prevention, mitigation and solutions to meet all of the organization’s legal, regulatory and contractual obligations.

The overall goal should be to create a security posture advantageous in gaining or retaining customers or attracting investment. Ultimately, said Lindahl-Wise, these decisions lie with the CEO and board.

“When it comes to funding and risk acceptance, CISO is, largely, an expert advisor — if an informed and conscious decision has been made by a CEO, then one should argue the CISO has discharged their responsibilities,” Lindahl-Wise added.

CEO Gerry, however, said the final decision on funding allocation is made by the Board of Directors, and it is up to both the CEO and the CISO to get their buy-in on where and what security investments should be made.

“This is a key reason that the CISO should report to the CEO and have direct access to the Board of Directors,” said Gerry. “While oftentimes security can be viewed as a cost center, the new reality is that a robust security program should be a competitive differentiator and a revenue enabler, in addition to simply being the cost of doing business in an ever-expanding threat environment.”

The Future is AI

CISOs have long understood the role AI plays in cybersecurity, particularly handling some of the most mundane tasks that free up time for overworked security teams to handle issues that require hands-on management. As generative AI becomes ubiquitous in the workplace, CEOs have become increasingly aware of AI’s impact on business and security risks. Some companies are turning to adding Chief AI Officers to their IT and security teams, but even when they aren’t CEOs still recognize the need to include AI in future security budgets.

“As threats become more sophisticated, leveraging AI tools enables us to enhance our threat detection, automate responses and improve incident management,” said Darren Guccione, CEO at Keeper Security. “Skilled professionals are needed to navigate the rapidly evolving threat landscape and ensure that our AI-driven strategies remain effective and secure and must be a budget consideration.”

How it is defined within the cybersecurity budget will depend on how it is used. Will it be a fringe use of AI in commercial tools for productivity gains or an embedded use of AI in the organization’s core offerings?

“If it is the latter, the CEO must satisfy themselves that the organization has the right experience to manage the opportunities and risks,” Lindahl-Wise said. As for the security side of things, “My hunch is we will see AI responsibilities feature heavily in CIO/CTO roles before standalone CAIOs become the norm.”

AI might be the most current technology and security disrupter, but it won’t be the last. Where it is similar is that it creates risk, both to the business and to cybersecurity, and risk is where CEOs and CISOs will focus on investments as a team.

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