The Department of Homeland Security, an organization created after 9/11 “to prevent another 9/11,” has repeatedly stated that cyber threats have surpassed physical terrorist attacks as a leading threat. “The cyber threat has eclipsed the threat from physical terrorism…despite lots of recent warnings and reflection by senior leaders in government still may not be taken as seriously as it needs to be by all of us,” stated an undersecretary with the department. DHS is currently restructuring its intelligence units following reforms made by the CIA, and now groups units into counterintelligence, counterterrorism, cyber, economic security, and transnational organized crime. More broadly, the DHS head has described the organization’s evolution as a “shift from a ‘counterterrorism posture’ at DHS to a wider ‘counter-threat’ posture to make sure we are doing everything possible to guard against nation-state interference.” Now, DHS partnerships with business has become a key component of its work to defend against cyberattacks. These changes reflect the rapid evolution of threat environments in which the U.S. has been situated in recent decades.
Source: On 9/11 anniversary, DHS says cyber threat has eclipsed terrorism
