Cybercom 2.0 to better combat Chinese threats, officials say

The U.S. was noted by senior Defense Department officials to be able to better tackle intensified Chinese cybersecurity threats against its networks through a new cyber force generation model under the Cybercom 2.0 initiative, according to DefenseScoop.

More specialized cybersecurity teams will be prioritized by CYBERCOM 2.0, which would enhance the cyber force's agility in addressing attacks against critical infrastructure that involve industrial control system abuse, as well as AI-powered cyber intrusions, said Assistant Secretary of Defense for Cyber Policy Katie Sutton during a Senate Armed Services Subcommittee on Cybersecurity hearing. AI was also noted by Acting National Security Agency and Cyber Command Head William Hartman as crucial in ensuring U.S. network defenses. Hartman said that the Defense Department has already conducted pilot testing of several tech efforts, including the Panoptic Junction.

"The bigger piece, though, is really closing the loop between what we learn in our offensive capability and what our defensive teams are prepared to defend against, and literally in real time, turning around that knowledge and so that as we learn more, we use that information to drive our own defense for our networks," Hartman said.