White House Official: Cyber Attacks Are Risk of Doing Business

The White House official tasked with coordinating the country’s response to cyber threats said that the risk of such attacks is often overblown.

Howard Schmidt, the White House cybersecurity coordinator, said that a few sensational events make the overall cyber threat seem worse than it really is. “It’s still a situation where specific incidents make it something it’s not,” he said. “Things make headlines that are just the risk of doing business in many cases.” But, Schmidt said, compared to other, more traditional crimes, attacks in cyberspace remain rare. He said there had been some successes, although he gave no details.
That being said, Schmidt added, the relatively low risk doesn't mean the problem should be ignored.