The rise of proactive cyber: Why defense is no longer enough

Modern cybersecurity is shifting from a reactive model (detecting and responding to attacks after they happen) to a proactive model that aims to disrupt attackers before they strike, because attack timelines have collapsed dramatically. Cyber attacks now unfold in seconds rather than hours, with artificial intelligence automating key attack phases, making traditional defense inadequate. In response, both the U.S. government and major tech companies are investing in legal and technical capabilities like litigation, takedowns, and public exposure of tools to impose cost and friction on threat actors across the entire attack ecosystem.