Two thirds of digital security companies have been forced to change where and who they do business with as a result of growing issues concerning geopolitics in cybersecurity, according to research published today.

The rise in nation-state cyberattacks over the past few years, and the increased practice of naming certain countries and companies as complicit, has led to a growing number of organisations within the cybersecurity space finding their business decisions impacted.

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This is according to research by Tripwire, which saw 218 cybersecurity professionals attending the RSA Security Conference 2019 surveyed.

Geopolitics in cybersecurity was highlighted as a key issue for these companies causing 66% to relocate operations or change business partners. Notably, almost half (48%)  of those surveys felt that geopolitical decisions were being made by governments without considerations on the impact of cybersecurity.

Geopolitics in cybersecurity a growing concern

While nation-state cyberattacks – and security issues concerning companies such as China’s Huawei – dominating the news, cybersecurity professionals do not believe that we have reached the pinnacle of the issue.

87% believe nation-state cyberattacks will further increase in the coming year, while 79% say they have become more concerned about such nation-backed cyberattacks.

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While such professionals are concerned about geopolitics in cybersecurity, however, they generally do not feel that governments are reflecting their concerns. 66% said they thought cybersecurity was being neglected when compared to other more traditional aspects of national security.

“While some of these responses are not surprising, it’s likely that we’re underestimating the impact that growing nation-state cyberattacks have on business choices,” said Tim Erlin, VP of Product Management and Strategy at Tripwire.

“With a majority of organizations (66%) saying they are actively rethinking who to do business with and where to engage, it’s clear that cybersecurity’s impact is broad.

“We may not be far off from a time when locating a business in a nation that provides strong defenses is viewed as a competitive advantage.”