Google launches threat disruption unit, stops short of calling it ‘offensive’

The unit will use legal authorizations and technical capabilities to impede cyber threat groups, though company execs say it will not go so far as to hack into adversaries' systems.

SAN FRANCISCO — Google’s threat intelligence arm officially launched its anticipated disruptive cyber unit on Monday, which comes as the Trump administration seeks to create a more offensive, proactive U.S. culture in cyberspace against foreign hacker groups and cybercriminals.

Company officials notably deemed the unit a defensive operation, however because it focuses on cutting off the paths hackers rely on to breach systems, rather than using technical capabilities to hack into other governments’ or foreign firms’ computer networks.

The unit was made public in a keynote address delivered at RSAC Conference by Sandra Joyce, the vice president of Google’s Threat Intelligence Group. “We’re now in a position where we can and we must actively shape the outcome ...