US warns of cyber threat
2010-02-03 13:25
Washington – Google's recently reported cyber attacks are a "wake-up call" about the vulnerabilities of computer networks to attacks that could cripple the US economy, said the top US intelligence official on Tuesday.
"We cannot be certain that our cyberspace infrastructure will remain available and reliable during a time of crisis," US Director of National Intelligence Dennis Blair told key lawmakers.
Blair said vital telecommunications and information systems faced threats from "those who would steal, corrupt, harm or destroy the public and private assets vital to our national interests".
Unwilling to censor
He pointed to Google's announcement that following cyber attacks on the Gmail accounts of Chinese human rights activists, it was no longer willing to censor web search results in China even if that means it has to leave the country.
"The recent intrusions reported by Google are a stark reminder of the importance of these cyber assets, and a wake-up call to those who have not taken this problem seriously," Blair told the Senate Intelligence Committee.
Blair said "terrorist networks, organized criminal groups, individuals, and other cyber actors" have targeted US systems "for intelligence collection, intellectual property theft, or disruption".
"Malicious cyber activity is occurring on an unprecedented scale with extraordinary sophistication," he warned, stressing that "sensitive information is stolen daily from both government and private-sector networks".
Unknown sources
In addition to rival powers, crime syndicates, and extremist groups, some of the threat comes from unknown sources.
"We often find persistent, unauthorised, and at times, un-attributable presences on exploited networks, the hallmark of an unknown adversary intending to do far more than merely demonstrate skill or mock a vulnerability," he said.
Blair warned that criminals have been targeting the latest generation of cellular telephones "whose increasing power and use in financial transactions makes them potentially lucrative targets".
Blair said he was pursuing efforts to toughen US cyber defences and said "new cyber security approaches must continually be developed, tested, and implemented to respond to new threat technologies and strategies".
- SAPA