National Security Council cyber lead wants to \u2018normalize\u2019 offensive operations | CyberScoop<\/title> <meta name=\"description\" content=\"The senior director for cyber at the National Security Council said Thursday that he wants to \u201cdestigmatize\u201d offensive cyber operations.\"> <link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/cyberscoop.com\/alexei-bulazel-white-house-national-security-councial-destigmatize-offensive-cyber-rsac-2025\/\"> <meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\"> <meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\"> <meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"National Security Council cyber lead wants to \u2018normalize\u2019 offensive operations \"> <meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"The senior director for cyber at the National Security Council said Thursday that he wants to \u201cdestigmatize\u201d offensive cyber operations.\"> <meta property=\"og:url\" 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<button class=\"stickybar__close js-stickybar-close\" aria-controls=\"stickybar\"> <svg class=\"icon icon--close\" width=\"21\" height=\"22\" viewBox=\"0 0 21 22\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"m.822.518-.805.805L9.695 11 .017 20.678l.805.805 9.678-9.678 9.677 9.678.806-.805L11.305 11l9.678-9.677-.806-.805-9.677 9.677L.822.518Z\" fill=\"currentColor\" \/><\/svg> <span class=\"visually-hidden\">Close<\/span> <\/button> <\/section>\n<article class=\"single-article content\">\n<div class=\"single-article__container js-single-article-content\">\n<header class=\"single-article__header \" readability=\"25.421841541756\">\n<div class=\"single-article__header-content\" readability=\"34.355769230769\">\n<ul class=\"single-article__eyebrow\">\n<li class=\"single-article__category\"> <a class=\"single-article__category-link\" href=\"https:\/\/cyberscoop.com\/alexei-bulazel-white-house-national-security-councial-destigmatize-offensive-cyber-rsac-2025\/\"> <span>Government<\/span> <\/a> <\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p> Alexei Bulazel told an audience at the 2025 RSAC conference that he thinks \u201cthere’s a lot we could do to increase costs on these actors.\u201d <\/p>\n<p>  <br \/>\n<audio id=\"audio-player\" src=\"https:\/\/wp-tts-cdn.api.scpnewsgrp.com\/cyberscoop\/84394\/english.openai.mp3\"><\/audio> <\/p>\n<div readability=\"11\">\n<div>\n<p>Listen to this article<\/p>\n<p>  <\/p>\n<p>0:00<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p>  <\/p>\n<p> <span id=\"tts-tooltip\">Learn more.<\/span> <span> This feature uses an automated voice, which may result in occasional errors in pronunciation, tone, or sentiment. <\/span> <\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>  <\/div>\n<div class=\"single-article__cover-wrap\">\n<figure class=\"single-article__cover\"> <img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" fetchpriority=\"high\" width=\"640\" height=\"426\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ddi.mohflo.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/national-security-council-cyber-lead-wants-to-normalize-offensive-operations.jpg?resize=640%2C426&ssl=1\" 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(Getty Images) <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/header>\n<div class=\"single-article__content\">\n<div class=\"single-article__content-inner has-drop-cap\"> <html readability=\"30.283573487032\"><body readability=\"62.142108938547\"><\/p>\n<p><strong>SAN FRANCISCO \u2014<\/strong> The senior director for cyber at the White House\u2019s National Security Council told an audience Thursday that he wants to \u201cdestigmatize\u201d offensive cyber operations, seeing them as a vital tool in the government\u2019s playbook in its battle with foreign adversaries. <\/p>\n<p>Alexei Bulazel told an audience at the RSAC 2025 conference that he views offensive cyber as \u201cone arrow in the quiver\u201d when weighing response options to an adversary\u2019s actions against the country in the digital realm. <\/p>\n<p>\u201cThis isn\u2019t offense for offense\u2019s sake, but being able to respond in kind if we\u2019re the victim of foreign aggression,\u201d he said. <\/p>\n<p>His comments highlight a shifting perspective in the top levels of the Trump administration when compared to past administrations. What was once viewed <a href=\"https:\/\/cyberscoop.com\/aggressive-cyber-offense-trump-administration-us-strategy-debate\/\">as a controversial or escalatory tactic<\/a> now appears poised to become a normalized aspect of the United States\u2019 national security toolkit.<\/p>\n<div class=\"ad ad--inline_1 \">\n<div class=\"ad__inner\"> <span class=\"screen-reader-text\">Advertisement<\/span> <\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>While Bulazel noted that \u201cit\u2019s fun to talk about offensive cyber because it gets people\u2019s attention,\u201d he and his team at the National Security Council are looking at offensive cyber as an evolution to previous policies that have focused on deterrence. <\/p>\n<p>\u201cI think deterrence in cybersecurity is actually very hard,\u201d he said. \u201cI think there\u2019s a lot we could do to increase costs on these actors,\u201d adding that a response should show adversaries that \u201cif you come do this to us, we\u2019ll strike back and we\u2019ll punch back, and administrations before us have been hesitant to do that. \u201d <\/p>\n<p>He noted there are different ways in which the U.S. could respond in an offensive manner, including degrading the tools, tactics or procedures our adversaries use to conduct attacks. <\/p>\n<p>\u201cIf we understand that an adversary has an intent or has a given tool that they\u2019re going to use, and we know they\u2019re going to exploit a given vulnerability, we can work with the private sector or through agencies like DHS\u2019s CISA, proactively patch those vulnerabilities, and get ahead of the adversary, and maybe conduct an operation against the adversary,\u201d he said. <\/p>\n<p>Bulazel also acknowledged the ongoing debates about the legal and normative boundaries of offensive cyber, particularly the persistent concern of whether U.S. actions should mirror those of the attackers or rely on proportional, non-cyber responses such as sanctions or indictments. But he also argued that continually absorbing hostile cyber operations risks setting damaging precedents and normalizing adversarial behaviors.<\/p>\n<div class=\"ad ad--inline_1 \">\n<div class=\"ad__inner\"> <span class=\"screen-reader-text\">Advertisement<\/span> <\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>\u201cNot responding is escalatory in its own right,\u201d he said. \u201cThere is a concern that offensive cyber could be escalatory, but if you continually let the adversary hack you and hack you, that in itself, that\u2019s a norm. We need to find some way to communicate that this is not acceptable.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><\/body> <\/p>\n<footer class=\"single-article__footer\" readability=\"3.7933884297521\">\n<div class=\"author-card\" readability=\"14\">\n<div class=\"author-card__avatar\">\n<figure class=\"author-card__image-wrap\"> <img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"author-card__image\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ddi.mohflo.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/national-security-council-cyber-lead-wants-to-normalize-offensive-operations-1.jpg?w=640&ssl=1\" alt=\"Greg Otto\"> <\/figure>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p><h4 class=\"author-card__name\">Written by Greg Otto<\/h4>\n<p> Greg Otto is Editor-in-Chief of CyberScoop, overseeing all editorial content for the website. Greg has led cybersecurity coverage that has won various awards, including accolades from the Society of Professional Journalists and the American Society of Business Publication Editors. Prior to joining Scoop News Group, Greg worked for the Washington Business Journal, U.S. News & World Report and WTOP Radio. 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{"id":7601,"date":"2025-05-01T18:59:51","date_gmt":"2025-05-01T23:59:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/cyberscoop.com\/?p=84394"},"modified":"2025-05-01T18:59:51","modified_gmt":"2025-05-01T23:59:51","slug":"national-security-council-cyber-lead-wants-to-normalize-offensive-operations","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ddi.mohflo.net\/index.php\/2025\/05\/01\/national-security-council-cyber-lead-wants-to-normalize-offensive-operations\/","title":{"rendered":"National Security Council cyber lead wants to \u2018normalize\u2019 offensive operations\u00a0"},"content":{"rendered":"