Tariffs create more volatile environment for cyberattacks, industry executive warns
President Donald Trump holds a chart as he announces a plan for tariffs on imported goods during an event Wednesday, April 2, 2025, in the Rose Garden at the White House. Demetrius Freeman/The Washington Post via Getty Images
Tenable Co-CEO Steve Vintz told Nextgov/FCW that the potential trade wars stoked by the Trump administration’s tariffs facilitate conditions that incentivize hacking activity around the globe.
The sweeping tariff environment imposed by President Donald Trump is creating conditions that incentivize adversaries to launch cyberattacks in response to economic pressures, Tenable Co-CEO Steve Vintz said in an interview Wednesday.
Trump announced that same day a 10% base tariff on all U.S. imports, with higher rates for major trading partners, arguing it would help boost American manufacturing and jobs. The moves rattled global markets, drawing backlash from world leaders and marking a sharp break from decades of free trade. Stocks around the world tumbled Thursday in response.
Vintz said the cyber threat environment, historically, tends to increase amid uncertain economic conditions.
“There’s a clear correlation between economic sanctions, tariffs and threats. Threats increase whenever you have some of that,” he said. “I think tariffs certainly will result in more cyber threats, [and] we’re starting to see more evidence of that.”
Domestic critical infrastructure owners and operators, who have traditionally procured hardware from overseas providers, may be forced to source locally, which would increase their costs, he said.
“So if you sell hardware, a router, server, switch or whatever the case is … certainly it’s going to be more expensive to do,” he added.
Critical infrastructure — which includes hospitals, transportation networks and power grids — is a top target for hackers because compromising these systems can trigger economic disruption and expose sensitive data to theft and extortion.
After markets closed on Trump’s Wednesday “Liberation Day” tariff announcements, the Information Technology Industry Council urged the White House to reconsider the president’s trade strategy.
“Broadly applied and sustained tariffs create economic and employment uncertainty, strain U.S. leadership and relations with key global allies, and invite retaliation from trading partners. These tariffs also threaten America’s ability to lead in key technology areas like AI and manufacturing,” the trade group’s Executive Vice President of Policy Sean Murphy said in a statement.