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Living Off The Land Tactics: Cyber Defense Explained
Jun 29, 2025
We break down 'Living off the land' tactics and their importance in cyber defense. Discover how advanced strategies and resources empower us to compete with adversaries like China. Our work with DARPA and industry is evolving capabilities to protect our nation. #CyberSecurity #CyberDefense #LivingOffTheLand #CyberWarfare #NationalSecurity #China #CyberThreats #ArtificialIntelligence #DigitalDefense #InformationSecurity
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0:00
Senator Rosen, thank you. I actually
0:02
have a compound last question. So, uh I
0:06
want a clarification um on some terms
0:08
that we use on um about the PRC. So,
0:11
could you explain for the layman what
0:13
living off the land tactics are and why
0:16
it's important from a cyber defense
0:18
perspective and the compound part of the
0:20
question is and finally, what do you
0:23
really want us to know that we haven't
0:25
asked you today? We know you've had just
0:27
a short time to prepare for this, but uh
0:30
u maybe we'll give you that final word
0:31
there, too. Hey, thanks uh Senator
0:34
Rosen. So living off the land, you know,
0:37
really describes when an adversary gains
0:40
access uh to your network and then uses
0:45
legitimate user credentials and
0:47
legitimate user behavior uh in order to
0:50
to to live in your network in a way that
0:53
makes it really hard to detect them
0:55
using, you know, a standard uh antivirus
0:59
or ver or alert-based program.
1:02
secretly living in the basement I
1:04
suppose then. Right. Right. And and so
1:06
it just it makes it really difficult
1:08
because it's uh you know it's the
1:11
behavior that you've got to detect. But
1:14
look we we we do know how to do that. Um
1:16
we have gained a significant amount of
1:19
uh of knowledge. Artificial intelligence
1:21
is going to help us. Working with
1:23
private industry is going to help us. Uh
1:25
and we're dedicated to continue to to
1:28
get after that problem. Thank you.
1:31
And then I have uh I think Senator King
1:33
had one more question as well. I
1:36
apologize, Senator. I didn't I didn't
1:38
ask the I didn't answer the second part
1:40
of her question. Go ahead. Um and and so
1:43
I think the the thing that I would most
1:45
like the committee to to to take away is
1:49
Congress and the department have given
1:51
us authorities. All right? They've given
1:53
us service-like authorities. They've
1:55
given us control of the resources that
1:58
apply to the cough one. So the cyber
2:01
mission force and the headquarters that
2:04
employ them. We've been given
2:06
acquisition authorities. We've been
2:08
given joint force trainer authorities
2:10
and all those things are enabling us to
2:13
evolve the command in a way that better
2:16
enables us to compete with China or any
2:18
other advers adversary. It is working.
2:22
Okay. There are things that uh slow down
2:25
the process. Continuing resolutions slow
2:28
down the process. Hiring freezes slow
2:31
down the process. Transitions between
2:33
one combatant command support agency and
2:35
the other slow down the process. But we
2:37
have a plan. We're executing it. And
2:41
it's all about the ecosystem that we
2:44
have to build that provides precise
2:46
intelligence to really smart capability
2:49
developers that then field it to a force
2:52
that has been trained and operationally
2:54
aligned to receive that capability. All
2:56
right. We're doing it with DARPA. We're
2:59
doing it with the S&T community. We're
3:01
doing it with the the communities across
3:03
our services that have significant
3:05
investments in cyber capabilities. And
3:09
we're doing it based on operational
3:11
requirements of geographic combatant
3:13
commanders like Indopaccom and based on
3:16
cybercom requirements to defend the
3:18
nation. And so that's really the message
3:20
I have here. Those authorities, those
3:22
resources, they're relatively new, but
3:26
they are allowing us to really increase
3:28
our ability to to really get after all
3:30
the things that we've talked about here.
3:32
Thank you.