A top official at Booz Allen Hamilton emphasized the critical threat cyber adversaries pose on American critical infrastructures and national security and predicted a future where artificial intelligence will play a major role in cyber offense and defense. In an interview with Virginia Economic Development Partnership’s President and CEO Jason El Koubi, Brad Medairy, executive vice president at Booz Allen, discussed key cybersecurity issues the nation is facing.

Cyberattacks on Critical Infrastructure

According to Medairy, Booz Allen’s work involves protecting high-value assets such as critical infrastructure networks from cyberthreats. He mentioned the recent Volt Typhoon attacks wherein a sophisticated nation-state adversary targeted power grids not just in the United States but also in important allies and partners.

The government contracting leader explained that nation-states use cyber for both espionage and to disrupt vital services.

“That particular attack was really alarming because it represented an escalation. No longer were nation-states just trying to steal secrets. They were in those environments for no purpose other than to potentially cause some type of disruption or kinetic effect — meaning they could turn off the power grid to disrupt electricity or other services that Americans and people around the world rely on,” he said about the Volt Typhoon incident.

AI Vs. AI in the Cyber Domain

Medairy warned that cyberattacks will become more sophisticated in the near future as malicious actors employ advanced technologies. He said the company is already seeing cyber operations where adversaries use AI and, in the future, the battle will become machine versus machine.

He called for continued investments in advanced technologies for countering adversary threats in the cyber domain.

Learn more about the threats federal agencies face within the cyber domain at the Potomac Officers Club’s 2025 Cyber Summit on May 15. Register for the in-person event here.