Research & Analysis
Virtual Routes conducts research and analysis to advance public understanding of the impact of digital and emerging technologies on global affairs. All our research and analysis is independent, meeting high academic standards of objectivity and rigour.
AI & CYBERSECURITY
The growing integration of AI into cybersecurity presents both new risks and opportunities. At Virtual Routes, we research how AI is reshaping the cyber landscape, introducing vulnerabilities while also enhancing defensive capabilities.
Our ongoing work examines AI-generated code and its security implications, the evolution of AI-driven cyber threat intelligence, and EU policy efforts to regulate AI in cybersecurity. We also document real-world use cases of AI in cyber operations, analyzing how these technologies are changing the nature of cyber threats and responses. As part of these efforts, we have partnered with the Munich Security Conference to launch an essay competition on how AI impacts cybersecurity and its implications for Europe, with the winning entries published on Binding Hook.
Countering ransomware
Ransomware has become one of the most damaging and widespread forms of cybercrime, causing significant harm to public services, private businesses, and national economies. Its rise has fundamentally reshaped the cybersecurity landscape, prompting governments to prioritize protection against profit-driven cybercriminals. This project evaluates the effectiveness of government strategies in countering ransomware.
We have developed the Ransomware Countermeasures Tracker. This tracker identifies trends in government actions against ransomware, highlights areas where we see more or less activity, and establishes a baseline of awareness that can support future analyses of government effectiveness.
DIGITAL TECHNOLOGIES AND GEOPOLITICS
Digital technologies shape the geopolitical landscape while also being subject to geopolitical shifts and pressures. At Virtual Routes, we conduct research on this two-way relationship, seeking to capture both large-scale, tectonic changes with impacts over generations, as well as the more immediate but no less transformative effects of particular technologies, companies, and even individuals.
Whether on economics, security, human rights or climate change, the global outlook for international institutions in general – and international cooperation on the governance of digital technologies in particular – is far from favourable. However, this makes it all the more urgent to conduct research on how digital technologies interact with geopolitics, and the opportunities they bring as well as their clear risks.
Our ongoing work focuses especially on the implications of transnational digital infrastructure for economics and international security. Everything from financial transactions to sensitive national security data transits digital networks spanning the globe, and is thereby vulnerable to new forms of exposure and disruption. As part of this work, we also investigate how digital technologies alter the foundations of our political understanding and action, from local organizing to national elections, and from labour movements to diplomatic negotiations.
Virtual Routes’ research on digital technologies and geopolitics includes a Horizon Europe project on Reigniting Multilateralism via Technology (REMIT), where Virtual Routes leads a research stream on the economic and societal factors that shape technology governance. Coordinated by Maastricht University, the REMIT project brings together leading European researchers from nine partners from Belgium, Estonia, Finland, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Romania and the United Kingdom. REMIT aims to re-mobilize a transnational collective spirit that addresses global problems through technology.
Securing Europe’s Resource-Constrained Critical Infrastructure
Policymakers are increasingly recognizing the challenges critical infrastructure entities face in mitigating cybersecurity risks. EU Commissioner for the Internal Market, Thierry Breton, notes “Cybersecurity threats in critical sectors can have an impact on the everyday life of citizens, but also on businesses and public services throughout the EU.” Many of the critical infrastructure entities in Europe face a dual challenge: their essential role in society makes them attractive targets, but they often lack sufficient funding, skilled personnel, or advanced technical defenses to counter cyber threats effectively.
Countering the proliferation and misuse of commercial spyware
The proliferation and misuse of commercial spyware has been widely reported to violate human rights, diminish civil liberties and compromise digital security. Virtual Routes research and analysis helps countries to develop policy and regulation in line with global good practices, commit to establishing robust guardrails and prevent the export of commercial spyware to high-risk end-users.
Principles for state approaches to commercial cyber intrusion capabilities
In October 2024, Virtual Routes Co-Director James Shires authored a research paper with the UK think tank Chatham House, advocating new principles for states worldwide to better govern markets for commercial spyware.
State Permissive Behaviours and Commercial Offensive-Cyber Proliferation
The companion paper to the Chatham House report was co-authored by James Shires and a team of researchers at RUSI, examining permissive behaviours by states that encourage the proliferation and misuse of commercial spyware.
