The Geopolitical Security Playbook: When Nations Clash in Cyberspace

In this episode of Data Security Decoded, host Caleb Tolin sits down with Dustin Droullard, a cyber threat intelligence expert and former Army intelligence analyst, to discuss how global conflict is increasingly playing out in cyberspace, from digital espionage to civilian-targeted cyber operations. This episode highlights why organizations must rethink their cyber risk strategies in light of modern geopolitical threats and growing digital exposure. What You’ll Learn: How influence operations are used to confuse, divide, and destabilize Understanding your organization’s role in geopolitical conflicts What basic cybersecurity practice still gets overlooked Where small businesses can find free resources to improve security posture and resilience How anthropology, business, and literature studies can power cyber careers The gap in current cyber education and how to fix it with critical thinking and specialization 👉 Subscribe here: https://rbrk.co/4cVWzno Chapters: 0:00 Intro and Welcome 0:33 Dustin’s Journey from Intelligence to Cybersecurity 2:45 Cyber Espionage vs. Cyber Effects 6:38 Disinformation and Influence in Cyber Conflict 10:39 Every Business Is a Target in Geopolitical Crises 13:21 Federal and Nonprofit Resources for Cyber Defense 15:57 The Role of Anthropology and Culture in Cyber Ops 20:33 Majors That Build Cyber Thinking Skills 23:03 Educating the Next Cyber Generation 26:53 Final Thoughts and Takeaways Episode Resources: Caleb Tolin on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/calebtolin Dustin Droullard on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dustindroullard CISA – Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency: https://www.cisa.gov National Defense ISACs Directory: https://www.nationalisacs.org Institute of World Politics – Cyber Intelligence Courses: https://www.iwp.edu