By: Dan Boylan | The Washington Times | Tuesday, May 9, 2017:
NSA Director Adm. Mike Rogers, who also heads U.S. Cyber Command, warned Washington lawmakers Tuesday that America’s enemies in the cyberspace realm “have grown more sophisticated and assertive” — especially Russia — which is increasingly attempting to undermine democracies across the world through cyberattacks.
Testifying to a Senate Armed Services Committee hearing on Tuesday, Adm. Rogers also raised eyebrows by discussing a “worst-case scenario” cyberattack on critical infrastructure that instead of revealing data — such as a WikiLeaks hack — would entail the manipulation of vital national data on a “massive scale.”
“Advanced states continue to demonstrate the ability to combine cyber effects, intelligence, and asymmetric warfare to maintain the initiative just short of war, challenging our ability to react and respond,” the head of the National Security Agency told committee members in his opening remarks.
Other threats Adm. Rogers detailed included the increasing use of ransomware. Ransomware is used by criminals to kidnap, or lock, the data or intellectual property of an individual or business. To unlock the data and regain control of files, one must pay a ransom.
Adm. Rogers also addressed cyberattacks that disrupt the “daily lives of Americans.”
“We have seen states seeking to shape the policies and attitudes of democratic peoples,” he said. “And we are convinced such behavior will continue for as long as autocratic regimes believe they have more to gain than to lose by challenging their opponents in cyberspace.”
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Image Credit: Public Domain Photo By Adam Hartman:
