FBI Director Warns Congress About Terrorist Hacking

A day after the authorities arrested several hackers from the Anonymous movement, the director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Robert S. Mueller III, warned members of Congress that terrorist groups might use hackers to attack the United States.

“Terrorists have shown interest in pursuing hacking skills,” Director Mueller said in written testimony to a House appropriations subcommittee reviewing the bureau’s budget. “And they may seek to train their own recruits or hire outsiders, with an eye toward pursuing cyberattacks. These adaptations of the terrorist threat make the F.B.I.’s counterterrorism mission that much more difficult and challenging.” Director Mueller said that the federal government must act swiftly to prevent such attacks and economic espionage from other countries because they pose a “potentially devastating” threat to the country’s businesses and infrastructure.