The UK military is deploying specialized cyber teams overseas to identify and disrupt hostile hackers before they can attack British defense networks, according to a new report from The Times.
Major General Mike Fayers, commander of the UK’s Defence Cyber and Electromagnetic Force, revealed that personnel are conducting forward-deployed operations across Europe and Asia with the consent of host nations. The force, comprising more than 700 military and civilian personnel, also searches Ministry of Defence networks for intruders and hidden malware that could be activated during a conflict.
Fayers warned that AI is accelerating cyberattacks, reducing the time available to respond to newly exploited vulnerabilities from days to minutes. The Ministry of Defence reported approximately 90,000 state-linked cyberattacks over the past two years, double the previous period.
Darin Fredde, Senior Director and Offensive Security Evangelist, Ridge Security
“Waiting for an attacker to reach your network before looking for them is becoming an increasingly expensive strategy.
“What interests me about the UK’s approach isn’t simply deploying cyber teams overseas. It’s the recognition that effective defense increasingly requires understanding adversaries, their capabilities, and the paths they may take before an attack reaches its intended target.
“AI may compress attack timelines, but speed alone doesn’t determine the outcome. Visibility, preparation, intelligence, and tested security controls still matter.
“Organizations don’t need military cyber teams to adopt this mindset. They need proactive threat hunting, continuous offensive testing, and the discipline to validate complete attack paths rather than simply count vulnerabilities.
“The objective isn’t to win every game of cat and mouse. It’s to make sure the mouse doesn’t already have the keys to the house.”
ㅤ
Seemant Sehgal, Founder & CEO, BreachLock
“Forward hunting buys defenders time, and that time pays off only for those who already know which of their systems an attacker can reach. Behind the 90,000 attacks the MoD reported, the number that decides outcomes is how many found a path that already existed. When the response window shrinks from days to minutes, any weakness you have not already found and closed will be reached first.”
ㅤ
John Strand, Owner, Black Hills Information Security
“I think this kind of forward thinking from militaries around the world is absolutely essential. It also scares me. Both can be true.
“I’ll be one of the first people to say that militaries need offensive cyber capabilities. Full stop. If the NSA, NRO, CIA and, within its authorities, the FBI aren’t looking at how those capabilities fit into their missions, then what the hell are we paying them for?
“The UK is moving in this direction, and I think that’s necessary because our adversaries are already doing it. It’s disturbing to see countries tie their own hands while their adversaries are willing to do whatever they want. There is no scenario where simply hoping the other side shows restraint works out.
“But we also have to talk about escalation. As with almost any military option, cyber or kinetic, there is a risk that your actions trigger a response and that response drives the next escalation. There are going to be problems, and we need to be honest about them.
“You can hold both things in your head at the same time. You can recognize the danger of escalation and still understand the absolute necessity of having offensive capabilities.”
Maybe the US needs to take a page out of the UK playbook here? Just a thought?
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This entry was posted on November 9, 2026 at 2:57 pm and is filed under Commentary with tags UK. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed.
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UK deploys military cyber hunt teams overseas to disrupt hackers before attacks
The UK military is deploying specialized cyber teams overseas to identify and disrupt hostile hackers before they can attack British defense networks, according to a new report from The Times.
Major General Mike Fayers, commander of the UK’s Defence Cyber and Electromagnetic Force, revealed that personnel are conducting forward-deployed operations across Europe and Asia with the consent of host nations. The force, comprising more than 700 military and civilian personnel, also searches Ministry of Defence networks for intruders and hidden malware that could be activated during a conflict.
Fayers warned that AI is accelerating cyberattacks, reducing the time available to respond to newly exploited vulnerabilities from days to minutes. The Ministry of Defence reported approximately 90,000 state-linked cyberattacks over the past two years, double the previous period.
Darin Fredde, Senior Director and Offensive Security Evangelist, Ridge Security
“Waiting for an attacker to reach your network before looking for them is becoming an increasingly expensive strategy.
“What interests me about the UK’s approach isn’t simply deploying cyber teams overseas. It’s the recognition that effective defense increasingly requires understanding adversaries, their capabilities, and the paths they may take before an attack reaches its intended target.
“AI may compress attack timelines, but speed alone doesn’t determine the outcome. Visibility, preparation, intelligence, and tested security controls still matter.
“Organizations don’t need military cyber teams to adopt this mindset. They need proactive threat hunting, continuous offensive testing, and the discipline to validate complete attack paths rather than simply count vulnerabilities.
“The objective isn’t to win every game of cat and mouse. It’s to make sure the mouse doesn’t already have the keys to the house.”
ㅤ
Seemant Sehgal, Founder & CEO, BreachLock
“Forward hunting buys defenders time, and that time pays off only for those who already know which of their systems an attacker can reach. Behind the 90,000 attacks the MoD reported, the number that decides outcomes is how many found a path that already existed. When the response window shrinks from days to minutes, any weakness you have not already found and closed will be reached first.”
ㅤ
John Strand, Owner, Black Hills Information Security
“I think this kind of forward thinking from militaries around the world is absolutely essential. It also scares me. Both can be true.
“I’ll be one of the first people to say that militaries need offensive cyber capabilities. Full stop. If the NSA, NRO, CIA and, within its authorities, the FBI aren’t looking at how those capabilities fit into their missions, then what the hell are we paying them for?
“The UK is moving in this direction, and I think that’s necessary because our adversaries are already doing it. It’s disturbing to see countries tie their own hands while their adversaries are willing to do whatever they want. There is no scenario where simply hoping the other side shows restraint works out.
“But we also have to talk about escalation. As with almost any military option, cyber or kinetic, there is a risk that your actions trigger a response and that response drives the next escalation. There are going to be problems, and we need to be honest about them.
“You can hold both things in your head at the same time. You can recognize the danger of escalation and still understand the absolute necessity of having offensive capabilities.”
Maybe the US needs to take a page out of the UK playbook here? Just a thought?
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This entry was posted on November 9, 2026 at 2:57 pm and is filed under Commentary with tags UK. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.