July 30, 2021

United States President Joe Biden warned that cyberattacks that cause serious security vulnerabilities in the U.S. could lead to a “real shooting war” with another major world power.

Biden cited Russia and China, saying that they could later be “possible mortal competitors.”

The Biden administration has blamed Russia and China for certain attacks that have hit critical systems in the U.S.

Speaking at the National Counterterrorism Center of the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, he said, “I can’t guarantee this, and you’re as informed as I am, but I think it’s more likely we’re going to end up — well, if we end up in a war, a real shooting war with a major power, it’s going to be as a consequence of a cyber breach of great consequence.”

The comments follow NATO’s mid-June statement noting that cyberattacks are compatible or can be classified as “armed attacks” in some circumstances.

For more information, read the original story in Bleeping Computer.