Cyber Threats from China, Russia, and Iran: Protecting American Critical Infrastructure

Today's hearing is timely and very relevant. We are examining the cyber threat today that is posed by nation-states, namely China, Russia, and Iran. I focus on the nation-state aspect of this threat because it represents a new battlefield in state relationships and one in which we must prepare accordingly. There have been significant developments in the cyber domain, highlighted by the fact that the U.S. Government has finally begun to name the nation-states most responsible for cyber attacks against the United States. Tom Donilon, the President's National security adviser, outed China as the place where cyber intrusions are emanating on an unprecedented scale. The annual threat assessment by the United States intelligence community delivered to Congress-Director of National Intelligence, James Clapper, named cyber as the top threat to the United States' National security. This represents a major shift in the threat assessment by the United States intelligence community and makes our work on this committee even more important.