New Homeland Security center to guard against cyberattacks

The US Department of Homeland Security is creating a centre aimed at protecting banks, electric companies and other critical infrastructure against cyberattacks a threat that now exceeds the danger of a physical attack against the U.S. by a hostile foreign group, Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen said today.

The National Risk Management Centre will work to quickly identify and address potential threats and improve safeguards across a range of industries, she said.

It will prioritise risks to industries that most Americans rely on, like the power grid. It is designed to be a partnership with private companies and federal agencies, with Homeland Security as the lead agency.

Nielsen spoke at a cybersecurity summit hosted by government officials that brought CEOs of credit card companies, telecommunications industries and utilities together with the heads of the NSA, FBI and Department of Energy.

The summit comes during renewed concern over the possibility of Russian-sponsored meddling in the mid-term elections, and criticism of the Trump administration's efforts on cybersecurity.

Sen. Claire McCaskill, D-Missouri announced that Russian hackers tried unsuccessfully to infiltrate her Senate computer network and Sen. Jeanne Shaheen, D-New Hampshire, told The Associated Press that someone contacted her office "claiming to be an official from a country." She is not up for re-election.

President Donald Trump has offered mixed messages on Russian interference in U.S. elections at times even calling it a "hoax," though he acknowledged in a recent tweet that the mid-terms are a likely target.

Nielsen said today the government cannot allow Russian interference again.

"Let me be clear on this, any attempt to interfere in our elections is a direct attack on our democracy, it is unacceptable, and it will not be tolerated," she said.

"Mark my words: America will not tolerate this meddling." Nielsen said today the threat is not limited to elections, and cannot be underestimated.

She cited as examples the credit bureau breach where half of Americans had personal information exposed online, plus the WannaCry ransomware that spread from North Korea to more than 150 countries, and Russian hackers compromised the control rooms of energy companies around the world.

"These incidents, though, are only the beginning," she said. "Rogue regimes and hostile groups are probing critical systems worldwide every moment as we speak. And without aggressive action to secure our networks, it is only a matter of time before we get hit hard in the homeland."