Cybersecurity

DNI Clapper: Cyber bigger threat than terrorism

Cybersecurity is a critical component of national security — as the leaders of the national defense have said multiple times over the last year. However, as of just a few years ago, cyber issues have become the top threat to U.S. security, according to the government’s top intelligence official.

The cyber threat is real, James Clapper, director of national intelligence, told midshipmen during a speech for the Naval Academy’s Cyber Lecture Series on Jan. 29, and has surpassed terrorism as the No. 1 threat facing the nation.

Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson made a similar point during a keynote speech at CyberCon in November, naming cybersecurity as a top priority alongside counterterrorism. Clapper took it a step further.