US intel chief warns of cyber threats

WASHINGTON: US Director of National Intelligence Dan Coats warned on Friday of a looming devastating cyber assault on critical US infrastructure, saying nearly two decades after the Sept. 11 attacks the “warning lights are blinking red again.”

“Today the digital infrastructure that serves this country is literally under attack,” Coats told a think-tank audience.

“Every day foreign actors, the worst offenders being Russia, China, Iran and North Korea, . . . are penetrating our digital infrastructure and conducting a range of cyber intrusions and attacks against targets in the United States.”

“In regards to state actions, Russia has been the most aggressive foreign actor, no question. And they continue their efforts to undermine our democracy,” he added, comparing the intelligence warning signals to those received ahead of the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks on New York and Washington.