AS America's military cyberdefence professionals met for their annual trade meeting in Maryland last Thursday, top commanders issued a blunt warning that sustained operations this year had cost the United States much of its long-built-up advantages in cyberspace.
According to US officials, highly sophisticated cyberattacks were at the heart of operations earlier this year, firstly to capture Venezuelan president Nicolas Maduro and then to degrade Iranian sensors and communications in the US-led Operation Epic Fury.
Over time, however, senior officials told the gathering of the Military Cyber Professionals Association, known as Hammercon, their ability to conduct offensive cyberattacks through pre-identified vulnerabilities in hostile systems has begun eroding fast.
