As cyber-attacks become a central component of hybrid warfare, Google LLC announced it will acquire Wiz, Inc., a cloud security platform based in New York, for $32 billion. According to DealPulse’s M&A database, which harnesses both AI and attorneys to digest the granular deal points of publicly announced transactions, the all-cash private target merger is subject to customary closing conditions, including regulatory approvals.
“Both cybersecurity and cloud computing are rapidly growing industries with a vast range of solutions,” according to the deal’s press release. “The increased role of AI, and adoption of cloud services, have dramatically changed the security landscape for customers, making cybersecurity increasingly important in defending against emergent risks and protecting national security.”
Source: Check Point
Cybercrime has exploded a multibillion-dollar issue worldwide. The costs from these attacks has grown from $860 million in 2018 to $9.22 billion in 2024 – a tenfold increase over just 6 years. It is getting worse, with industry analysts predicting cybercrime will increase another 50% over the coming 4 years. But beyond dollars, cyber-attacks have become a key tool in warfare.
“Cyber power has disrupted geopolitical balance by redefining global power dynamics” According to SIA Partners, “cyber warfare can have devastating effects on all facets of a state, directly impacting its government (through strategic influence), its businesses (slowing down operations, industrial espionage), and its population (especially through social media).” Whether the attackers steal sensitive military secrets, shut down power grids, or use social media to manipulate public opinion via disinformation campaigns, there is a range of ways that cyber power is used by belligerents.
Source: National Defense University Press
Rather than traditional binary notions of conflict where parties are actively engaged in physical violence and considered at war – or not – hybrid warfare obscures the line between war and peace. Instead of bearing the costs of sending tanks with their nation’s flag into a neighbor, hybrid warfare allows an actor to use everything from cyber-attacks to disguised special operatives that can weaken an adversary while allowing deniability on the part of the attacker. The tactics are on a continuum, as depicted in the chart above, and can be used alongside conventional tactics in a war or enable a belligerent to attack an adversary in more subtle ways without it necessarily erupting into full-fledged armed conflict.
Source: Flashpoint
Global alliances have worked to counter these threats by sharing information and capabilities. Private companies, such as Google, have continued to invest in additional security measures as threats advance.
