Government shutdown raises cybersecurity concerns

A new poll finds that Americans' concerns about the nation's cybersecurity are heightened with the government shutdown.

Some 62% of 538 respondents said they felt some degree of heightened concern, while 54% of survey takers indicated feeling some degree less secure with the government shutdown. Chris Petersen, CTO and co-founder of LogRhythm, a security analytics company, predicts that cyberspies are likely to probe and penetrate poorly monitored systems. "New beachheads will be established," he says. "Some will be used for immediate gains. Over time, some of these compromises will be detected when furloughed cyber security workers return to their posts. However, other beachheads will stay intentionally hidden, buried and dormant, waiting for the right time to strike."