Security | Threat Detection | Cyberattacks | DevSecOps | Compliance

Attackers broke into major gaming platform Ubisoft and started spraying free in-game currency, triggering confusion as teams tried to understand the sudden rush of skins and purchases. While everyone focused on the noisy mess, the intruders quietly stole source code for the full game catalogue, walking away with the real prize.

Geopolitics runs on the idea that if one country is not first, another will be, and that logic is now leaking into corporate strategy. Nation states can absorb failure in pursuit of an edge, but most businesses have a low tolerance for failure, so importing that mindset turns ambitious bets into existential risks.

Security leaders are not ignored because governance or risk no longer matter, they are sidelined because speed and efficiency are treated as the only metrics that count. AI is sold as a competitive edge, so any warning about second order effects sounds like friction, even though speed without control creates asymmetric risk that grows out of sight.

Cybersecurity is pricing itself out of reach. Over the past eight years, private equity and VC acquisitions have driven massive price increases across security consulting, vendor products, pentesting and compliance services. SMBs are struggling with vendor renewals climbing up to 40% while security budgets can't keep pace. From endpoint security to SIEM solutions, baseline cybersecurity is becoming unaffordable for the organisations that need it most.

This one's going to ruffle some feathers. Over the past eight years, something has fundamentally changed in the cybersecurity industry. Prices are climbing faster than most UK and European budgets can absorb. Vendor renewals that used to be predictable are now eye-watering. Consultancy rates have shot up. And it's not just about inflation or rising costs.

Security awareness surged during lockdown as ransomware and phishing exploded, then dropped as everyone chased the next big win in AI. Regulation was watered down, governments pressed to be first, and organisations pushed ahead with automation while security teams were moved back to the sidelines.

What threats should CISOs prioritise as we move into 2026? Welcome to Razorwire, the podcast where we share our take on the world of cybersecurity with direct, practical advice for professionals and business owners alike. I’m Jim and in this episode, we’re looking ahead to the challenges facing security leaders in 2026. I’m joined by Richard Cassidy, EMEA CISO at Rubrik, and together, we discuss the three themes dominating CISO conversations.

From evolving regulations and relentless cyber threats to the rise of AI, CISOs in 2026 are facing their toughest year ever. Discover what’s pushing security leaders to their limits—and why strong leadership and strategy matter more now than ever.#razorwirepodcast.

Recent figures from a DeFi agency show hundreds of millions lost in a quarter, with a significant share linked to smart contract vulnerabilities. The conversation accepts serious security gaps in decentralised finance yet also notes blockchains improving land registries in corrupt environments, where public smart contracts help protect ownership records.

Welcome to the inaugural RazorWire Raw, a new content series offering additional, unfiltered thoughts on news and security issues. This series, born from viewer requests, aims to provide more in-depth content beyond the regular podcast. We're excited to expand our content creation and provide more insights for our audience.

The discussion attacks fiat currency and argues for open digital money that works across borders without bank packages and profit driven fees. Bitcoin appears as long term store of value, with faster networks such as Ether handling daily transactions and travel friendly payments in a more consistent way.

An estimated ninety eight percent of ransoms use cryptocurrency, with Bitcoin at the centre, which turns it into core infrastructure for extortion and fraud. The discussion questions positive impact, pointing to energy waste, slow transactions, fixed supply design and the likelihood of central banks adopting similar tech without those flaws.

Every market rig and scam pushed out of regulated money markets finds fresh life in crypto trading. The conversation covers absence of chargebacks, shock when payments prove final, and physical targeting risks for individuals known to hold significant cryptocurrency.

The clip asks what price society pays when technological freedom arrives without constraints. Financial sovereignty without oversight risks building a market with no effective law, where abuse grows faster than safeguards and guardrails arrive late.

Cryptocurrency appears as a brilliant decentralised finance idea on paper, removing banks and handing control to individuals. The discussion weighs that promise against a darker reality, where crypto rails serve as preferred vehicle for cyber criminals and sit outside normal jurisdiction and accountability.

Bitcoin started life at pennies and moved to global asset while many stood on the sidelines. The conversation reflects on missed chances, throwing away double digit holdings and watching later valuations turn those coins into life changing sums.

The episode asks whether cryptocurrency is good, bad or evil for society and for cybersecurity. Themes include state controls on cash, market abuse in crypto trading, real world payment use, digital money already present in banking systems and the open challenge crypto poses to traditional financial power.

The 2025 review closes with a look at boundaries, where work still sits at the centre of life for many in cybersecurity. Flipping that script, so family, health and friends hold the core and work fits around them, offers one of the strongest answers to long term stress and burnout in security.

The Razorwire Christmas Party 2025 episode compares automation in law and cybersecurity, where junior roles shrink and the talent pipeline starts to break. AI pressure on tier one soc work in 2025 leaves new entrants with debt and fewer real training grounds, raising hard questions about the future of senior expertise.