The U.S. intelligence chief on Thursday warned Congress of a sharp increase in cyberattacks, telling lawmakers the threats remain one of the most serious international threats U.S. officials face.

“We have seen a massive increase in the number of ransomware attacks globally in the last year, which went up as much as 74% in 2023,” Director of National Intelligence Avril Haines told a Senate hearing, adding that U.S. companies are most heavily targeted, including in the health care industry.

“Although the likelihood of any single attack having a widespread effect on interrupting critical services remains low, the increased number of attacks and the actors’ willingness to access and manipulate these control systems increases the collective odds that at least one could have a more significant impact,” she added.

Read more at Newsmax© 2024 Newsmax. All rights reserved.