The Razorwire Special 2025 Review: Looking Back, Looking Forward

Описание: What happens when you gather some of the sharpest minds in cybersecurity for an end-of-year chat about where we've been and where we're heading?
Welcome to Razorwire's Christmas special. Today I’m chatting with some of our favourite guests from 2025: clinical traumatologist Eve Parmiter, cyber futurist Oliver Rochford, CISO and podcast host Marius Poskus and occupational psychologist Bec McKeown for a roundup of the cybersecurity industry this year. This isn't a glossy year-in-review full of predictions and corporate optimism. We're talking about what's actually happened: how our teams are STILL burning out, the junior pipeline that's being hollowed out by premature AI deployment, the CISOs who are resigning because they're handed accountability without support and the businesses that want the appearance of security rather than the reality of it.

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Summary:
Explore what actually happened in 2025, from falling ransomware payment rates to the continued rise in burnout and stress levels across the industry, and look ahead to what might be coming in 2026.

Discover why marketing-driven threat intelligence about AI-enabled ransomware and nation-state AI usage turned out to be more hype than reality, and why security leaders are still being handed responsibility without power, budget or support.

Learn why burnout remains a systemic problem, how legal protections for occupational trauma might evolve, and why an AI skills shortage is likely in 2026 as companies realise they have hollowed out their junior pipeline with premature AI deployment.

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Key Talking Points:
2025 Year in Review
Marketing-Driven Threat Intelligence
The CISO Accountability Trap
Burnout as a Systemic Problem
Legal Protections for Occupational Trauma
The AI Skills Shortage Coming in 2026
Economics vs Security Spending
Cognitive Load and Dashboard Design
The Younger Generation’s Boundaries
Predictions for 2026

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“Companies do not want security. They want the appearance of security. They hire a CISO to be the person who's accountable, the person who's on insurance papers, the person's name who's on client contracts, the person who is a face of the company of doing security, but actually he's not supported in budgetary terms in any other way.”

– Marius Poskus

(   / @mpcybersecurity  )

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🎧 Listen to this episode on your favourite podcasting platform:
(https://razorwire.captivate.fm/listen)

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In this episode, we covered the following topics:
2025 Year in Review – what actually happened in cybersecurity this year, from falling ransomware payment rates to increasing burnout and stress.
Marketing-Driven Threat Intelligence – why claims about AI-enabled ransomware and nation-state AI usage turned out to be more hype than reality.
The CISO Accountability Trap – why security leaders are given responsibility without power, budget or support and why many are stepping back from leadership.
Burnout as a Systemic Problem – why organisations still treat burnout as an individual issue instead of fixing systemic causes.
Legal Protections for Occupational Trauma – whether cybersecurity professionals could gain legal recognition for work-related harm.
The AI Skills Shortage Coming in 2026 – why salaries may rise as companies realise they hollowed out their junior pipeline with premature AI deployment.
Economics vs Security Spending – why businesses treat breaches like shoplifting and why perfect security is rarely the goal.
Cognitive Load and Dashboard Design – how principles from aviation flight deck design could reduce alert fatigue.
The Younger Generation’s Boundaries – what Gen Z might teach the industry about limits and reframing work around life.
Predictions for 2026 – salary increases, AI backlash and the consequences of neglecting security basics.

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Connect with your host James Rees
Hello, I am James Rees, the host of the Razorwire podcast. This podcast brings you insights from leading cyber security professionals who dedicate their careers to making a hacker's life that much more difficult.

Our guests bring you experience and expertise from a range of disciplines and from different career stages. We give you various viewpoints for improving your cyber security -- from seasoned professionals with years of experience, triumphs and lessons learned under their belt, to those in relatively early stages of their careers offering fresh eyes and new insights.

With new episodes every other Wednesday, Razorwire is a podcast for cyber security enthusiasts and professionals providing insights, news and fresh ideas on protecting your organisation from hackers.

📩 Email: [email protected]
🌐 Website: (https://www.razorthorn.com)

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