ISIS is among one of the most adaptive and skilled cyber adversaries, Air Force Lt. Gen. Kevin McLaughlin, US Cyber Command’s deputy commander, said Tuesday at ASC16. The group’s members make robust use of commercially available capabilities, including secure communications, McLaughlin said. “The interesting thing about cyber is you don’t have to be a nation state with hundreds of millions of people, you just have to have the ability to find the right number of skilled experts,” he said. “They’ve found the right number of those skilled experts.” McLaughlin said CYBERCOM has created a joint task force headed by Army Lt. Gen. Edward Cardon that is responsible for the command’s actions in support of US Central Command, but he did not provide details on how US cyber warriors have engaged in the fight against ISIS.
On Oct. 22, the Air Force Association's Mitchell Institute for Aerospace Studies will host a Nuclear Deterrence Forum featuring Henry Sokolski, executive director of the Nonproliferation Policy Education Center. The think tank will post event video on its website and YouTube page after the live event. Register here.