U.S. officials consider possibility that Iran is behind cyberattacks.

United States government officials are considering issuing a formal warning concerning the recent string of cyberattacks against major U.S. banking sites out of concern that Iran could be the cause. As of now, no action has been taken by officials in response to these attacks due to the opinion by officials that the activity has not been harmful enough to justify retaliation.

Such statements have left banking industry officials wondering how much is too much. What level of disruption will justify a government-sanctioned response?

White House cybersecurity coordinator, Michael Daniel points out the risk of misattribution and escalation that comes with government actions of this type. Daniel insists that companies need to contribute more to the defense of their own networks. “Now companies are going to have to take the next step. Do you have a backup plan for your systems if they’re hacked? Did you actually test it?”

Original article by Ellen Nakashima.
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