Artificial intelligence (AI) is enabling faster, more widespread cyber-attacks that can overwhelm defensive systems. Maintaining the status quo is not enough, as preexisting vulnerabilities in legacy systems and gaps in operational networks are quickly identified and attacked by adversaries who have faster and more adaptable tools at their disposal.
Breaking Defense discussed how cyber defense is evolving to protect critical systems with Leidos’ Paul Welch, Senior Vice President, Business Area Lead, Defense Agencies, and Josh Salmanson, Vice President, Defensive Cyber Practice.
Breaking Defense: Describe the threat scenarios necessitating the need for defensive cyber techniques, especially those that are more proactive than reactive.
Paul Welch, Senior Vice President, Business Area Lead, Defense Agencies, Leidos
Welch: Let’s start with the 800-pound gorilla: AI. The use of AI by threat actors – both criminal and state sponsored – is increasing the risk across cyberspace in general. Specifically for the Department of War, as data becomes increasingly important to the department’s operations, the importance of that data availability and integrity also increases, in some cases exponentially. When that data is not available or perhaps cannot be trusted, the risk to operations rises dramatically.
