CIA chief Leon Panetta: The next Pearl Harbor could be a cyberattack

The next great battle America faces is likely to involve cyberwarfare, Leon Panetta, the Central Intelligence Agency director, warned senators , predicting that “the next Pearl Harbor that we confront could very well be a cyberattack that cripples" America’s electrical grid and its security and financial systems.

“It’s going to take both defensive measures as well as aggressive measures to deal with that,” said Mr. Panetta, who was appearing before the Senate Armed Services Committee in a confirmation hearing for the post of secretary of defense. Panetta, a consummate Washington insider, is expected to be confirmed easily as the successor to Defense Secretary Robert Gates, but that did not stop him from receiving a tough – if cordial – grilling from lawmakers.