US at risk of 'catastrophic cyberattack' says intelligence panel chairman

The United States is woefully unprepared to counter a “catastrophic cyber-attack” that's expected within 12 to 24 months, House Intelligence Committee Chairman Mike Rogers (R-MI) said.

The House has been doing its part, Chairman Rogers said, easily passing his cybersecurity bill last month while his own committee adopted its spending bill for fiscal 2013 by a unanimous 19-0 vote. But the White House, citing privacy concerns, has issued a veto threat against the legislation that would allow the government to inform private companies about impending cyber-attacks. “We are today involved in a cyber war,” Chairman Rogers said in remarks at a Carnegie Endowment for International Peace event marking the launch of The Hill's Global Affairs blog. “Our challenge is … can we prepare ourselves quickly enough?”