US official warns cyberattacks are ‘here to stay’

The US commerce secretary appealed Sunday for vigilance from the private sector in the face of increasingly serious cyberattacks, saying the threat is “here to stay” and may even worsen.

“I think the first thing we have to recognize is this is the reality, and we should assume — and businesses should assume — that these attacks are here to stay and if anything will intensify,” Gina Raimondo said on ABC’s “This Week.”

Analysts say the hackers behind a series of recent cyberattacks — targeting a major US oil pipeline, a global meatpacking giant and even the Irish health service — are likely based in Russia.