Communications of the ACM
U.s. Security Chief Warns of Rising Cyber Threats
Director of National Intelligence James R. Clapper says there is a chance of a major cyberattack against critical U.S. infrastructure systems within the next two years.
Credit: Office of the Director of National Intelligence
Cyberattacks represent the greatest threat to U.S. security, according to a new report authored by Director of National Intelligence James Clapper and released by the Senate Intelligence Committee.
Clapper says there is a chance of a major cyberattack against critical U.S. infrastructure systems within the next two years that would lead to "long-term, wide-scale disruption of services, such as a regional power outage."
He notes that although advanced cyberactors such as Russia and China are unlikely to launch such an attack outside of a military conflict or crisis they believe endangers their vital interests, "isolated state or non-state actors might deploy less sophisticated cyberattacks as a form of retaliation or provocation. These...actors could access some poorly protected U.S. networks that control core functions, such as power generation, during the next two years."
Clapper also cautions that criminals and activists with online operations constitute a significant threat to U.S. financial strength and could have an unintended impact on security. He notes most hacktivists practice political protest by employing short-term denial-of-service operations or exposing personally identifiable information held by target companies.
From V3.co.uk
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