FBI official warns about increasing cyber-sophistication of rogue states, criminals
March 24, 2010
A top FBI official warned (on Wednesday, March 24) that many cyber-adversaries of the U.S. have the ability to access virtually any computer system, posing a risk that's so great it could "challenge our country's very existence."
Steven Chabinsky, deputy assistant director of the FBI's cyber division, delivered a strong and urgent warning about the threat of cyberattacks during a presentation Tuesday at the FOSE government IT trade show here. Chabinsky also offered recommendations for countering the threat, including rules that would restrict the ability of some systems to interoperate with more vulnerable ones.
"The cyber threat can be an existential threat -- meaning it can challenge our country's very existence, or significantly alter our nation's potential," Chabinsky said. "How we rise to the cybersecurity challenge will determine whether our nation's best days are ahead of us or behind us.
"I am convinced that given enough time, motivation and funding, a determined adversary will always -- always -- be able to penetrate a targeted system," he added.
Chabinsky said that terrorism is the FBI's top cyber priority, followed by its investigation of foreign countries "that seek every day to steal our state secrets and private sector intellectual property, sometimes for the purpose of undermining the stability of our government by weakening our economic or military supremacy."
Both terrorists and foreign countries are turning to cyber-technologies "to exploit our weaknesses," Chabinsky said.
Full story: Cyberattacks an 'existential threat' to U.S., FBI says
March 24, 2010
A top FBI official warned (on Wednesday, March 24) that many cyber-adversaries of the U.S. have the ability to access virtually any computer system, posing a risk that's so great it could "challenge our country's very existence."
Steven Chabinsky, deputy assistant director of the FBI's cyber division, delivered a strong and urgent warning about the threat of cyberattacks during a presentation Tuesday at the FOSE government IT trade show here. Chabinsky also offered recommendations for countering the threat, including rules that would restrict the ability of some systems to interoperate with more vulnerable ones.
"The cyber threat can be an existential threat -- meaning it can challenge our country's very existence, or significantly alter our nation's potential," Chabinsky said. "How we rise to the cybersecurity challenge will determine whether our nation's best days are ahead of us or behind us.
"I am convinced that given enough time, motivation and funding, a determined adversary will always -- always -- be able to penetrate a targeted system," he added.
Chabinsky said that terrorism is the FBI's top cyber priority, followed by its investigation of foreign countries "that seek every day to steal our state secrets and private sector intellectual property, sometimes for the purpose of undermining the stability of our government by weakening our economic or military supremacy."
Both terrorists and foreign countries are turning to cyber-technologies "to exploit our weaknesses," Chabinsky said.
Full story: Cyberattacks an 'existential threat' to U.S., FBI says
