Hackers are stepping up the intensity of their attacks, moving from \u201cdisruption\u201d to \u201cdestruction\u201d of key computer systems, the top US cyber-defense official said Monday.<\/p>\n
General Keith Alexander, who is director of the National Security Agency and commander of the US Cyber Command, told a Washington forum that the new tactics could move beyond mere annoyances and begin causing severe economic damage.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe are seeing the threat grow from exploitation to disruption to destruction,\u201d he told the group at the Woodrow Wilson Center.<\/p>\n
He argued that these attacks could impact organizations ranging from stock markets to power grid operators \u2014 \u201call of that is in the realm of the possible.\u201d<\/p>\n
These types of destructive attacks can wipe out data, which could bankrupt a company or disable the control systems operating key infrastructure.<\/p>\n
More from RawStory.com: http:\/\/www.rawstory.com\/rs\/2012\/10\/01\/hackers-shifting-from-disruption-to-destruction-u-s-cyber-chief\/ <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Hackers are stepping up the intensity of their attacks, moving from \u201cdisruption\u201d to \u201cdestruction\u201d of key computer systems, the top US cyber-defense official said Monday. General Keith Alexander, who is director of the National Security Agency and commander of the … Continue reading