Nation states have learned that they can disrupt, spy upon and threaten their rivals by infiltrating and subverting their communications networks. Such cyberattacks may be the prelude to a conventional military operation, as occurred when Russia invaded Ukraine. However, they typically occur as part of a more general strategy of gathering information and obtaining advantages that may be exploited later. There is a great deal of variety in cyberwarfare methods. On one end of the spectrum, North Korean hackers engage in the systematic theft of cryptocurrency which will be used to evade sanctions. This contrasts with the investments made by Russia and China in ships and weapons that could be used to cut submarine cables or disable satellites, and the competing investment being made by NATO to protect privately-owned communications infrastructure. Much of modern cyberwarfare is barely distinguishable from cybercrime, with freelance hackers being hired by nation states and given license to steal so long as they only target foreign governments, businesses and individuals. All of this places a greater burden on comms providers that would prefer to focus on competition within a free market than on a hidden form of warfare where the assailants are difficult to identify and almost never suffer any repercussions. Cybersecurity analyst Patrick Donegan helps us to navigate the threats posed by nation states.

Topical news items are also debated by the show’s three regular presenters, industry analyst Ed Finegold, senior risk executive Lee Scargall, and the Editor of Commsrisk, Eric Priezkalns.