US Cyber Command moves to bolster private sector cyber posture through partnerships

DefenseScoop reports that the U.S. Cyber Command's Cyber National Mission Force has been working to strengthen the cybersecurity posture of the private sector through initiatives fostering increased partnerships. Collaborations with 22 partners in the private sector have enabled the Cyber Command to share 149 unique malicious cyber activity indicators over the past year as part of its 'under advisement' program, said Cyber Command Executive Director Holly Baroody at the Military Cyber Professionals Association's HammerCon conference. Moreover, the overall cybersecurity community has also benefited from Cyber Command's 'hunt-forward' initiatives, which involve the deployment of CNMF personnel to nations seeking to improve their cybersecurity defenses. Such an effort has been crucial in facilitating threat intelligence sharing with Ukraine amid its ongoing war with Russia, said CNMF Commander Maj. Gen. William Hartman at the Association of the United States Army's LANPAC conference. "Today, we have shared over 5,000 indicators of compromise either from Ukraine to us or from us back to Ukraine, in order to do everything we can to ensure that the United States, our partners, and allies are protected against what the Russians are doing in Ukraine, but also to ensure that the Ukrainians networks are as difficult as possible for the Russians to continue to attack and exploit," said Hartman.