Digital Front Lines

Digital
Front Lines

A sharpened focus on the risks of, and responses to, hybrid warfare

The war in Ukraine has brought hybrid warfare to the fore and coincided with a steady uptick in cyber operations, including destructive attacks against civilians and critical infrastructure. Meanwhile, the expanding use of artificial intelligence (AI) is shaping the capabilities of attackers and defenders in cyberspace, with far-reaching implications for international security and stability.

Recognizing this shifting landscape, FP Analytics launched Digital Front Lines in 2023 with support from Microsoft. Part VI of the series, published alongside the 2025 United Nations General Assembly, explores how ransomware has become the fastest-growing form of cybercrime, with attacks rising nearly fivefold over the past five years. New research from FPA and contributions from experts in government, industry, and civil society examine the systemic impacts of ransomware on health care, critical infrastructure, and democratic institutions, revealing how ransomware groups exploit safe havens to continue their operations. However, strengthened international cooperation and cross-sectoral partnerships can combat this rapidly evolving threat.

 

PART VI  |  SEPTEMBER 2025

An FP ANALYTICS Issue Brief

Ransomware Rising

Confronting the fastest-growing cybercrime through international cooperation. Read more


The ransomware threat landscape is complex and rapidly evolving


Ransomware endangers lives, disrupts critical infrastructure, and weakens institutions


Mitigating ransomware attacks through systemic and sustained governance


Looking Ahead

PAST REPORTS

Digital Front Lines is a multimedia report consisting of a series of issue briefs produced by FP Analytics with support from Microsoft and accompanied by expert contributions from leaders across government, multilateral institutions, civil society, academia, and industry. By 2023, it had become clear that the scale and scope of cyber operations related to the war in Ukraine were unparalleled and that they marked a new era of hybrid warfare presenting myriad challenges for the prevention and resolution of conflicts globally. Digital Front Lines seeks to deepen understanding of hybrid warfare and to foster coordinated, effective responses across government, industry, and civil society, through independent research and thought leadership.

Illustration by BRIAN STAUFFER

PART I

Cyber Operations in Warfare – Ukraine and Beyond

Part I explores the impacts of cyber operations, in Ukraine and beyond, and the challenges they present to the international system, including attribution of, and response to, cyberattacks and the alignment of cyber and kinetic warfare strategies.

An FP ANALYTICS Issue Brief


PART II

Multistakeholder Responses in Ukraine and Lessons Learned

Part II distills the lessons learned from multistakeholder responses to the ongoing war in Ukraine, examining the implications of cyber operations for international humanitarian law and diplomacy and highlighting the role of the tech community to track and expose information operations.


PART III

Preparing for Future Hybrid Wars

Part III looks ahead to future hybrid wars and explores opportunities for partnership across government, industry, and civil society to secure cyberspace, safeguard nuclear and space assets from cyber threats, and ensure accountability for state and nonstate cyberattacks against civilians and critical infrastructure.


PART IV

Deterring Cyber Warfare

Part IV examines the challenge of cyber deterrence in an era of advanced artificial intelligence and presents cross-sectoral recommendations to mitigate risks, including robust and resilient digital defenses, AI-enhanced attribution techniques, and credible, proportional response measures to dissuade would-be attackers.


PART V

Hackers for Hire

Part V of the series assesses the scope and influence of the growing global market for cyber mercenaries, who develop, provide, or support offensive or intrusive cyber capabilities for a fee. This installment identifies the challenges of regulating cyber mercenaries and explores opportunities to mitigate its destructive impacts and strengthen international preparedness and response.

CONTRIBUTORS

Expert Insights

In the age of hybrid warfare, the impacts of cyber operations are felt across civil and military domains, and beyond. Experts from private industry, government, NGOs, multilateral institutions and more share their perspectives on a range of cybersecurity issues, identifying challenges to international peace and security, and opportunities for collaboration.

David Agranovich

Director of Threat Disruption at Meta

Francesca Bosco

Chief Strategy Officer of the Cyber Peace Institute

Amy Hogan-Burney

Corporate Vice President for Customer Security and Trust at Microsoft

Tom Burt

Corporate Vice President of Customer Security and Trust at Microsoft

Dr. Ron Deibert

Founder and director of The Citizen Lab

Stephen Doughty

UK Minister of State for Europe, North America, and Overseas Territories

Amb. Sorin Ducaru

Director of the European Union Satellite Centre (SatCen)

Stéphane Duguin

CEO of the CyberPeace Institute

Dr. Cordula Droege

Chief Legal Officer and Head of the Legal Division of the International Committee of the Red Cross

Dr. Comfort Ero

President and CEO of the International Crisis Group

Mykhailo Fedorov

Vice Prime Minister, Innovation, Development of Education, Science and Technologies of Ukraine

Nathaniel Fick

Inaugural U.S. Ambassador at Large for Cyberspace and Digital Policy

Annie Fixler

Director, Center on Cyber and Technology Innovation, FDD

Lindsay Freeman

Director of Technology, Law, and Policy, Human Rights Center, UC Berkeley School of Law

Chris Inglis

Former U.S. National Cyber Director

Amb. Bonnie Jenkins

Under Secretary for Arms Control and International Security at the U.S. Department of State.

Carine Kanimba

Human rights activist

Karim A.A. Khan KC

Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court

Dr. Peter Maurer

President of the Basel Institute on Governance and former President of the ICRC

Shelley McKinley

Chief Legal Officer of GitHub

Anne Marie Engtoft Meldgaard

Danish Tech Ambassador

Peter Micek

General Counsel and U.N. Advocacy Manager at Access Now

Izumi Nakamitsu

U.N. Under-Secretary-General and High Representative for Disarmament Affairs

Anne Neuberger

Deputy National Security Advisor for Cyber and Emerging Technologies, United States

James Paterson

Australian Senator and Shadow Minister for Cyber Security

Hanno Pevkur

Estonian Minister of Defense

Brad Smith

General Manager of the Microsoft Threat Analysis Center

Sophie in’t Veld

Rapporteur of the PEGA Report and Former Member of the European Parliament

Clint Watts

General Manager of the Microsoft Threat Analysis Center