Google launches threat disruption unit, stops short of calling it ‘offensive’
Google launches threat disruption unit, stops short of calling it ‘offensive’
Publish Date: 2026-03-23 22:23:00
Source Domain: www.nextgov.com
SAN FRANCISCO — Google’s threat intelligence arm officially launched its anticipated disruptive cyber unit on Monday, which comes as the Trump administration seeks to create a more offensive, proactive U.S. culture in cyberspace against foreign hacker groups and cybercriminals.
Company officials notably deemed the unit a defensive operation, however because it focuses on cutting off the paths hackers rely on to breach systems, rather than using technical capabilities to hack into other governments’ or foreign firms’ computer networks.
The unit was made public in a keynote address delivered at RSAC Conference by Sandra Joyce, the vice president of Google’s Threat Intelligence Group. “We’re now in a position where we can and we must actively shape the outcome of adversary behaviors,” she said on stage.
Google, like other major tech firms with cybersecurity services, can impede cyber adversaries by leveraging visibility into and control over widely used platforms and infrastructure that attackers routinely depend on to stage, deliver or manage their hacking operations. In recent months, Google has highlighted a series of intricate takedown efforts, and the announcement, executives say, is meant to encourage other firms in the cybersecurity and tech community to adopt a culture of proactive disruption.
“The private sector operates the very infrastructure that adversaries abuse,” Joyce said. “This gives us a unique vantage point of the technical capabilities that government agencies sometimes don’t have, and disrupting threat actors must become the status quo in our industry.”
The announcement dovetails with the release of the Trump administration’s national cyber strategy, which has focused, in part, on crafting a more offensive culture among U.S. cyber warriors and their private sector counterparts.
But Sean Cairncross, the White House cyber czar, made it clear earlier this month that he doesn’t want private sector firms hacking on behalf…
