Last summer, the CrowdStrike outage showed the world just how quickly a single cyber incident can dominate headlines, boardroom conversations, and even the global economy. It was a stark reminder for comms leaders: when cybersecurity stories break, they break big.
Fast forward to Summer 2025, and while the spotlight wasn’t on a single catastrophic event, the pace of the news cycle never let up. From zero-days surfacing over weekends, to threat groups like Muddled Libra shifting industries, to the growing influence of AI on how security stories are found and framed—the past few months reinforced one reality: in cyber comms, there is no off-season.
For communications leaders, this summer was another stress test of fundamentals—speed, credibility, and visibility. And the lessons we learned don’t just apply to summer; they’re playbook essentials year-round.
Speed + Substance Wins
When the SharePoint vulnerability began surfacing over a weekend in July, the comms teams who were ready with meaningful commentary before Monday morning became the go-to voices in coverage. What made the difference? Commentary that went beyond stating the facts:
- Deeper perspective on impact – explaining which types of systems, users, or industries were most at risk, and why this event mattered beyond the immediate exploit.
- Practical guidance – clearly outlining steps organizations could take to assess exposure and remediate potential issues.
- Context and framing – helping the audience understand how this vulnerability fit into the broader threat landscape.
Being first may get your comments read by media, but being first and insightful is what it takes to join the conversation. The brands that provided this kind of actionable, contextual commentary became the sources journalists and readers returned to throughout the unfolding story.
Research is the Differentiator
As the Muddled Libra (aka Scattered Spider) group made moves from retail into insurance and airlines, the brands that elevated original intelligence and connected the dots were the ones driving the conversation. Proprietary research isn’t just a value-add; it’s the lever that shifts your role from reactive to agenda-setting.
Stories with Global Stakes Resonate
The U.S. government’s warnings about Iranian Cyber Attacks on Defense, OT Networks and Critical Infrastructure in June was a reminder that stories with clear geopolitical stakes travel fastest. The brands that contextualized the threat quickly with data, patterns, and recommendations stood out. By tying research to real-world business risk and recommendations, comms teams turned a complex issue into coverage that mattered beyond the security press.
Earned Media = AI Visibility
Summer 2025 also underscored a longer-term reality: AI is increasingly shaping how information is surfaced and trusted. LLMs pull heavily from mainstream and trade outlets, not just company blogs. That means a strong earned media presence doesn’t fade when the story does—it becomes part of the reference layer AI uses to answer future questions about threats, actors, and responses. Media visibility is now reputational infrastructure.
Carrying the Lessons Forward
Summer may be over, but the takeaways extend year-round. Cyber comms leaders should:
- Plan for off-hours response—because bad actors don’t respect business hours.
- Invest in proprietary research—your sharpest tool for thought leadership.
- Seize global narratives—geopolitical cyber stories resonate far beyond the trade press.
- Think AI-first in media strategy—prioritize placements in outlets that carry weight with both journalists and search algorithms.
The CrowdStrike outage in 2024 may have been the wake-up call, but Summer 2025 proved the lesson: cybersecurity comms is never seasonal. The brands that balance speed, substance, and strategic visibility aren’t just winning headlines in the moment—they’re shaping how the story is told long after.
If you are looking for a new consultancy partner to address your communications or marketing challenges in cybersecurity or would like to learn more about our AI analysis services to inform your current strategy, please get in touch.