US intelligence director warns of more Russian cyberthreats

Washington: The director of national intelligence says Russia and other countries, including China, North Korea and Iran, are using cyberspace to target US and its allies, and will do so in future.

The Senate intelligence committee is holding a hearing on worldwide threats, and intelligence director Dan Coats says Russia is a threat to US government, military, diplomatic, business and critical infrastructure.

Coats says Iran also is making use of its high-tech capabilities. In 2013, an Iranian hacker intruded into the industrial control system of an American dam. In 2014, there was a data-deletion attack against a US-based casino.

Coats says China is targeting the US government and American businesses. He says such activity has diminished since US-China cyber commitments in 2015.

Coats' comments are coming in his prepared remarks.