FBI Cyber Operations Branch Expands Partnership With Allies and Private Sector Against Iran-Linked Hackers

Jason Bilnoski, deputy assistant director of the FBI's Cyber Division, said at the Billington Cybersecurity Summit in Washington on Tuesday that the bureau now shares intelligence and leads on hackers routinely with international allies and the private sector, calling the sharing "prolific" rather than the one-way flow of the past 1. He said adversarial use of AI to speed up attacks is increasing and will continue to do so 1, but told the panel that core defenses, multifactor authentication, identity management, perimeter monitoring and cyber hygiene, remain what will prevent most attacks over the next 18 months, as pushed under the FBI's Operation Winter Shield campaign 2. NSA Cybersecurity Directorate director David Imbordino echoed the point, saying "the basics are no longer boring" and "AI can't outrun the basics" 2. Five Eyes counterparts also agreed: New Zealand's Catriona Robinson urged organizations to "resist the breathless rush" toward new AI tools, and UK NCSC chief Richard Horne said AI is "shining a spotlight" on organizations that have neglected basics 2. An FBI spokesperson later told The National that Bilnoski's remarks were not a direct reference to reported Iran-linked hacking of US water systems and that the bureau would not comment on those matters 1.