Cyber attacks could cause 'real shooting war' -Biden

President Joe Biden on Tuesday warned that if the United States ended up in a "real shooting war" with a "major power" it could be the result of a significant cyber attack on the country, highlighting what Washington sees as growing threats posed by Russia and China.

Bryan Wood reports.

U.S. President Joe Biden on Tuesday warned a “real shooting war” may result from cyber attacks and he pointed to Russia as a growing threat.

“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.

And it's increasing exponentially, the capabilities.” Cybersecurity has risen to the top of the Biden administration’s agenda, after a series of high-profile attacks on companies like SolarWinds, Colonial Pipeline, and Kaseya.

Some of the hacks affected fuel and food supplies in parts of the U.S. During a June bilateral summit between the U.S. and Russia, Biden shared a list of off-limits critical infrastructure with Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Since then, the White House says the two countries have been in constant contact about cyber attacks in the U.S. Biden also warned of the threat posed by China, saying President Xi Jinping was “deadly earnest about becoming the most powerful military force in the world.” Biden’s comments mark a departure from his predecessor Donald Trump, who had a contentious relationship with U.S. intelligence agencies, especially over whether Russia interfered to help him win the 2016 election.

Trump went through four permanent or acting directors of national intelligence during his four years in office.