CIA, FBI Chiefs Categorize Terror Threat Before Senate
Date: February 23, 2005Source: New York Jewish Times
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Note: This is an excerpt. Link to full article is at the bottom.
Cyber Threats
The cyber-threat to the U.S. is serious and continues to expand rapidly the number of actors with both the ability and the desire to utilize computers for illegal and harmful purposes rises.
Cyber threats stems from both state actors, including foreign governments that use their vast resources to develop cyber technologies with which to attack our networks, and non-state actors such as terrorist groups and hackers that act independently of foreign governments. The increasing number of foreign governments and non-state actors exploiting U.S. computer networks is a major concern to the FBI and the Intelligence Community as a whole.
State actors continue to be a threat to both our national security as well as our economic security because they have the technical and financial resources to support advanced network exploitation and attack. The greatest cyber threat is posed by countries that continue to openly conduct computer network attacks and exploitations on American systems.
Terrorists show a growing understanding of the critical role that information technology plays in the day-to-day operations of our economy and national security. Their recruitment efforts have expanded to include young people studying mathematics, computer science and engineering in an effort to move from the limited physical attacks to attacks against our technical systems.
Fortunately, the large majority of hackers do not have the resources or motivation to attack the US critical information infrastructures. Most targets of the hacker are viewed as "challenges" to break into a system. These individuals do not introduce malicious code to the system but usually leave their "cyber signature." Although a nuisance, the single hacker does not pose a great threat; however, the increasing volume of hacking activity worldwide does inadvertently disrupt networks, including that of the U.S. information infrastructures. Hackers that plant malicious code or upload bots that are designed to steal information are the main threats in this group. These individuals have the ability to take down a system or steal trade secrets, either of which can be devastating to a company or agency.
The growing number of hackers motivated by money is a cause for concern. If this pool of talent is utilized by terrorists, foreign governments or criminal organizations, the potential for a successful cyber attack on our critical infrastructures is greatly increased.
To combat these and other cyber threats, the FBI established a national cyber program with a Cyber Division at FBI Headquarters and dedicated cyber squads in the field offices. The program enables us to coordinate and facilitate investigations of those federal criminal violations using the Internet, computer systems, or networks. It also helps us to build and maintain public/private alliances to maximize counterterrorism, counterintelligence, and law enforcement cyber response capabilities. We are also working to aggregate the technological and investigative expertise necessary to meet the challenges that lie ahead. We are recruiting and hiring individuals who possess degrees and experience in computer sciences, information systems, or related disciplines. We are looking for specialists who possess a bedrock of experience and a profound understanding of the cyber world.
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| 2005-07-26 18:39:48 - The comentan is dteg ense erik |
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