By JEFF REEDMAN, Associated PressThe computer systems of major tech companies have been hacked by a variety of cybercriminals and governments, but those attacks are usually not connected to the U.S. or any other country, experts said Tuesday.
The cyberthreats are largely limited to the United States and to China, said David A. Schwartz, the former chief executive officer of the Center for Strategic and International Studies and a cyberthreat expert with the cybersecurity firm CrowdStrike.
That makes them unlikely to be connected to any specific nation-state, he said.
The recent attacks, though, have been a major concern to cybersecurity experts, who are calling for better intelligence-sharing and better protections for the computer systems.
They also say the threat is only getting worse, with more and more countries becoming more active in attacking the technology.
Schwartz said the U to be concerned with the increasing level of cyberattacks on the U., especially given that a cyberattack would be highly costly and disruptive.
That would make it easier for hackers to infiltrate the companies, he told the AP.
Schultz said the more companies have to be more careful with their cybersecurity, the more the cybersecurity is likely to suffer from the consequences.
“If they have to put a lock on their doors and they can’t get into your system, you know, the cost will be really high,” he said, adding that the companies should take steps to encrypt their networks.
Schmidt said the best defense against a cyber attack is a strong system.
“They need to be aware of the vulnerability that the attackers have and how to respond,” he added.
Schweitzer said the attacks are being driven by China and Russia.
“The Russians and Chinese are doing it to us,” he told reporters at the conference, “because they can, and they will do it to any other company that has a system.”
He said the cyberthreat is now reaching into all industries and the U is no exception.
“There is no security in this country for an individual or an organization,” he stated.
“You can’t really trust anything that you put on a computer.”
Schwitzer said a cyberattacks could affect everything from banking, energy and even the health care industry, and it would affect the country’s competitiveness.
“It’s going to affect all of us.
The next decade is going to be very tough,” he warned.
