US can focus on both offensive and defensive cyber, top NSC official says

NSC Senior Cybersecurity Director Alexei Bulazel speaks onstage during the Billington Cybersecurity Summit Sept. 9. David DiMolfetta/Staff

The National Security Council’s senior cybersecurity director expects the U.S. to push the envelope on offensive hacking, but said those endeavors shouldn’t detract from efforts to establish more robust defensive cybersecurity measures.

Speaking Tuesday at the Billington Cyber Summit, Alexei Bulazel’s remarks are the summation of recent public appearances he’s made since taking his role in NSC. He’s made clear endorsements of taking more assertive stances in cyberspace against adversaries like China, which have targeted and infiltrated troves of critical infrastructure around the country.

But offensive cyber should be a “yes, and” approach, he said on stage.

Offensive measures are “an important tool of the toolbox that we’ll be unafraid to use,” he said. “But that’s not to say we don’t need to ...