How cyber can hack air defences, bring down a leader and plunge a city into darkness

Britain's Armed Forces are not just using technology to combat enemy hackers; they are using cyber offensively to target adversaries and bring them down.

So, what is offensive cyber? 

Wing Commander (Ret'd) Nishawn Smagh, who now works for GreyNoise Intelligence and is a former Director of Intelligence for the US Cyber National Mission Force, explained: "This is actually extending power. This is force projection. Everything from taking down power grids, impacting air defence systems, impacting communication capabilities for an adversary. 

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"There are different desired effects that you try to generate through offensive means."

Its use in Venezuela and Iran 

A good example of this is the US capture of Nicolás Maduro, the former Venezuelan leader, US Cyber Command and Space Command both played a role – President Trump claimed US forces were able to turn the lights off in Caracas to give special forces cover to operate. 

Experts believe cyber was also used in Operation Midnight Hammer – when US forces dropped giant bunker-buster bombs on the Iranian nuclear facilities – to hack Tehran's air defences and smooth the way for the B-2 stealth bombers. 

But the UK is also using offensive cyber, with the National Cyber Force in the lead, a combination of military personnel, intelligence, spies and cutting-edge science and tech. 

Their work is covert, but known operations include protecting overseas military deployments, disrupting terrorist groups and countering state disinformation.

The rise of AI and quantum computing 

As in so many other domains, the advent of AI and quantum computing is bringing change. 

"I would argue that offensive operators have been at an advantage for several years now. AI is going to keep them at the advantage until defensive capabilities can field AI," Wing Cdr (Ret'd) Smagh said. 

"From an offensive perspective, it's increasing my speed, it's increasing my scale, and it's increasing my sophistication of operations. It is [at the] strategic level. 

"What AI is also doing is lowering the barrier to entry for less skilled operators. So, I don't have a coding background, but I arguably could go into AI, and it would help me figure out how to do these things."

Offensive cyber is no longer a niche capability. Britain's National Cyber Force is part of that picture, operating in the shadows but shaping conflicts. 

So, still think cyber is boring? 

It just took out a nuclear programme, killed the Iranian supreme leader and plunged a capital city into darkness.