US intelligence official warns of evolving cyber threats: A top US intelligence official warned Thursday of an evolving cyber security threat that will see criminals not just stealing data, but actively altering or deleting it.
Speaking to the House of Representatives Intelligence Committee, heads of several top security agencies, still reeling from a string of high-profile hacks, spoke about the vulnerabilities faced by government and businesses in America.
Director of National Intelligence James Clapper said attacks typically have involved the disruption of a website or massive thefts of information -- such as the devastating hack of government databases that saw the theft of personal details of millions of federal workers and contractors.
"I believe that the next push on the envelope here is going to be the manipulation and deletion of data," Clapper said.
In written comments to the committee, Clapper said there may be more cyber operations that will change or manipulate electronic information in order to compromise its accuracy and reliability.
