The U.S. and China may have signed a Memorandum of Understanding last week to establish an agreement on trade and information security, but the National Security Agency director warned such an accord will not deter cyber espionage activities, CIO Online reported yesterday (Sept. 28).
In a Senate intelligence meeting last week, Adm. Michael Rogers, commander of U.S. Cyber Commandand head of the NSA, warned that more still needs to be done to slow down the growing number of cyber spying threats and theft of the country’s intellectual property.
“The greatest amount of activity is still criminal-based, but when I look at [it] from a national security perspective I would argue at the moment the nation-state represents the greater national security challenge,” Rogers said.
While the “common understanding” reached between the U.S. and China during Chinese President Xi Jinping’s visit last week shows progress, many have cast doubt on the impact it will really have in protecting the U.S. in the ever-changing cyberspace landscape.
“I raised once again our very serious concerns about growing cyber threats to American companies and American citizens. I indicated that it has to stop. The United States government does not engage in cyber economic espionage for commercial gain,” President Obama said after his meeting with Xi last week, noting the two nations had outlined a “way forward” on cybersecurity issues, CIO Online reported.
“We’ve agreed that neither the U.S. nor the Chinese government will conduct or knowingly support cyber-enabled theft of intellectual property, including trade secrets or other confidential business information for commercial advantage. In addition, we’ll work together, and with other nations, to promote international rules of the road for appropriate conduct in cyberspace,” he explained.
But in the meeting with Senate committee members, Rogers pointed to the fact that the cybersecurity issues facing the U.S. reach far beyond the activities believed to be originating in China, CIO Online said.
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