FBI director Christopher Wray and DHS acting secretary Kevin McAleenan, among others, testified to the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee on Nov. 5. On the agenda were domestic security threats including virtual threats, domestic terrorism, and U.S. gang activity.
The Department of Homeland Security Under-Secretary David Glawe, explained that cybercriminals are increasing the frequency and sophistication of their attacks.
“China, Russia, Iran, and North Korea are developing and using advanced cyber capabilities in an attempt to target critical infrastructure, steal our national security and trade secrets, and threaten our democratic institutions,” Glawe said.
FBI Director Christopher Wray added intellectual property and data theft is affecting companies and academic institutions of almost every size and sector.
“The FBI has around a thousand investigations involving attempted theft of U.S.-based technology that lead back to China,” Wray said. “And that’s involving nearly all the FBI’s 56 field offices, and I can tell you that number is representing a significant uptick from a few years ago and it’s growing.”
Described as one of the most pervasive homeland threats, domestic terrorism and its connection to social media were also discussed at large.
“These extremists are often motivated by violent ideologies or perceived grievances, often targeting race, ethnicity, national origin, religion, sexual orientation, gender or gender identity.”
When asked what steps the FBI is taking to contain MS-13 and inner city gangs, Wray explained that neighborhood gang activity has been leading the trend. He didn’t offer many details on the growth of the threat, but said crime rates have decreased “in the last year or two.”
