Last week, the security world convened at the Moscone Center in San Francisco to unpack what’s trending in cybersecurity. Nearly 50,000 professionals joined together to delve deep into the pressure points impacting the industry today. From regulatory shifts to evolving nation-state threats and the reality of agentic AI, one thing is clear: cybersecurity professionals are facing unprecedented challenges, and the stakes have never been higher.
The #HWCyberSquad was on the ground and in conversations with top vendors, security leaders, journalists and innovators. Here’s what we heard from those on the frontlines of cybersecurity and what it means for your communications strategy 👇
AI Hype vs Reality
As anticipated, the hot topic this year was agentic AI – how companies are using it, what success looks like and how close we truly are to autonomous operations. While we’re well past the initial AI craze, security leaders are grappling with the true impact of the technology. It’s clear the goal for many is not to take the human out of the loop, but rather to leverage AI as an augmentative force for their teams.
What This Means for Your Comms and Marketing Strategy: While much of the industry centers on visionary predictions about agentic AI, journalists are prioritizing real-world, actionable stories. They're not interested in what the future might look like. Rather, they want to know how it's unfolding today. As security leaders begin to explore and implement agentic AI, reporters are looking for companies to share concrete examples of how professionals are using generative AI in their day-to-day work, what’s proving effective, and the technology’s results. For communications professionals, the takeaway is clear – ground your pitches in tangible use cases, not just abstract ideas.
Bracing for Regulatory Shifts
The week of RSA also marked a pivotal milestone for the new administration – its first 100 days in office. While no sweeping cybersecurity legislation has emerged, a series of policy signals suggested a more restrained, targeted federal approach. Although the federal presence at RSAC was lighter than years past, key officials still outlined the administration’s priorities. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem emphasized refocusing CISA on critical infrastructure, while the White House’s Senior Director for Cyber signaled changes to U.S. offensive cyber strategy. Still, many leaders voiced concern about the future of public-private collaboration amid growing regulatory uncertainty.
What This Means for Your Comms and Marketing Strategy: As the current administration refines its cybersecurity strategies, many reporters will be looking for expert perspectives to make sense of the evolving landscape. This presents an opportunity for organizations and executives with federal experience to lead the narrative. It's up to PR professionals to proactively shape and communicate their organization’s point of view, aligning messaging with the broader national security conversation. In times of policy transition, credibility and clarity are your most valuable PR assets.
The Tightening Market’s Impact on Cybersecurity
The Wall Street Journal's RSAC 2025 event shed light on the mounting pressure CISOs and CSOs are facing in this new market environment. Due to the uncertainty, many are being asked to meet the same expectations with tighter budgets and even fewer resources.
This belt-tightening reflects broader economic headwinds, including a slowdown in the IPO market. At the Piper Sandler Cybersecurity CEO Summit, discussion focused on how market uncertainty is impacting pre-IPO companies in the $50M–$250M range. Experts emphasized the need to shift conventional thinking around IPOs, encouraging CEOs to consider smaller public offerings as a way to drive liquidity and sustain innovation.
What This Means for Your Comms and Marketing Strategy: The shifting economic market will change traditional reporting guidelines around successful IPOs and M&A. PR won’t always be about flashy numbers and explosive growth. Instead, strategic PR leaders will look at this time as an opportunity to support longer-term positioning strategies that highlight sustainable business models, leadership credibility and responsible scaling. By grounding stories in tailored data-driven ways, PR professionals can inform audiences on how companies and security teams are navigating uncertainty.
Remote Workers or DPRK Hackers?
With geopolitical tensions at an all-time high, evolving nation-state threats have never been more top of mind for the industry. From North Korean operatives posing as remote IT workers to Chinese-backed actors targeting critical infrastructure at every chance they get, the attack surface is wider than ever and stretches across every corner of a company’s network.
What This Means for Your Comms and Marketing Strategy: There’s no sign of slowing down when it comes to media interest in how nation-state threat groups are targeting U.S. organizations and infrastructure. But reporters aren’t looking for high-level commentary or generic warnings, they’re looking for insights from those on the frontlines of threat research and adversary operations. If your client has a strong research team, this is your opportunity to ground your pitches in data, attribution and clear expertise, positioning your spokesperson as an expert who brings clarity to complex, evolving threats.
What’s Next?
As the cybersecurity industry continues to evolve, it's up to communication leaders to adapt alongside security leaders. While the challenges are more complex than ever, the security community is stepping up to meet threats head-on and so should their communications and marketing strategy. Conversations at RSA unveiled a clear commitment to innovation, collaboration and staying one step ahead of evolving threats.
If you attended, we’d love to hear about your experience – let’s chat! Stay tuned as the #HWCyberSquad keeps a close eye on these developments and brings you more insights from the front lines.
We’ll see you at Black Hat!
