MOSCOW, MAY 15 (RIA Novosti) – The FBI plans to increase its cyber security and take harsher measures against violators, the bureau's digital crimes chief said at a Reuters cyber security summit in Washington on Wednesday.
"There is a philosophy change. If you are going to attack Americans, we are going to hold you accountable. If we can reach out and touch you, we are going to reach out and touch you," said Robert Anderson, who is in charge of combating cyber crime at the FBI.
Anderson recalled the case of Russian Dmitry Belorrossov, who was extradited to the US from Spain after an attack on 7,000 Americans and said his agency was prepared to fight even bigger attacks and arrest people behind them regardless of the states they are coming from and local extradition laws.
"There's a lot of countries that will not extradite. That will not stop us from pressing forward and charging those individuals and making it public," he said, as quoted by Reuters.
The FBI has previously turned many of those caught into sources serving the US government. It will continue to do that, although on a smaller scale, depending on national priorities, Anderson said.
FBI Director James Comey said last year cyber-attacks had surpassed terrorism as the most critical threat to US security.
Earlier this week, the FBI’s former top cyber security official told the Washington Times that US intelligence agencies were concealing information which could help companies deal with cyber threats, while government officials claimed to have notified 3,000 American companies about planned attacks on their businesses last year.
