Privilege Disruption: The Key Choke Point for Cyber Deterrence

"Cyber deterrence is designed to impose cost, risk, and uncertainty in ways that alter a threat actor's risk-benefit and disrupt their operations - especially early in the attack chain, where access becomes control and persistence. This makes it harder and increasingly unlikely for threat actors to achieve meaningful strategic value. A threat actor's risk-benefit is the decision on whether the expected payoff of a cyber operation outweighs the cost, risk, likelihood of exposure or attribution, potential consequences, and probability of failure."

"Defending the nation against persistent engagement in cyberspace requires a strategic shift away from reactive cybersecurity approaches, particularly those that rely heavily on post-compromise detection or adversary psychology to discourage cyberattacks. A cyber deterrence strategy is most effective when applied early in the attack chain and ATT&CK lifecycle, where imposing cost, risk, and uncertainty has the greatest impact on adversary decision-making."

Cyber deterrence imposes cost, risk, and uncertainty to alter threat actors' risk-benefit and disrupt operations, especially early in the attack chain where access becomes control and persistence. A threat actor's risk-benefit balances expected payoff against cost, risk, likelihood of exposure or attribution, consequences, and probability of failure. Effective deterrence shifts that balance decisively toward defenders by denying objectives and increasing operational friction. Privilege disruption is a critical choke point for denying adversary control and persistence. Persistent Engagement requires a strategic shift away from reactive, post-compromise detection and adversary-psychology approaches toward proactive measures that assume compromise and focus on early denial.

Read at Securitymagazine