--- description: The threat of a state-sponsored cyberattack on the U.S. is inevitable and could potentially destabilize the global system title: How Real Is the Threat of a Cyberattack? image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt4f06a0a2f11f2412/698859e3cd1bba0fd36fc291/cyber-attack_karge-tout.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  * [World](/section/world/) ## World Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close * [espionage](/tag/espionage/) ## espionage Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close # How Real Is the Threat of a Cyberattack? by [TIME Video](/author/time-video/) ## TIME Video Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Jul 7, 2015 4:36 PM CUT  Joe Stewart, director of malware research at Dell SecureWorks, a unit of Dell Inc., works on multiple computer screens at his office in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, U.S., Friday, Jan. 18, 2013\. Stewart, 42, spends his days hunting for Internet spies. Photographer: Stephen Morton/Bloomberg via Getty Images Joe Stewart, director of malware research at Dell SecureWorks, a unit of Dell Inc., works on multiple computer screens at his office in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, U.S., Friday, Jan. 18, 2013\. Stewart, 42, spends his days hunting for Internet spies. Photographer: Stephen Morton/Bloomberg via Getty ImagesBloomberg—Bloomberg via Getty Images by [TIME Video](/author/time-video/) ## TIME Video Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Jul 7, 2015 4:36 PM CUT TIME editor-at-large Ian Bremmer explains how cyberattacks from state-sponsored hackers and terrorists pose a risk for the U.S. government and financial institutions. Hackers are able to uncover state secrets, trade information and technology ideas. ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/3947918/cyberattack-risk/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/3947918/cyberattack-risk/"},"headline":"How Real Is the Threat of a Cyberattack?","datePublished":"2015-07-07T16:36:27.000Z","dateModified":"2026-02-22T09:01:17.858Z","description":"The threat of a state-sponsored cyberattack on the U.S. is inevitable and could potentially destabilize the global system","url":"https://time.com/3947918/cyberattack-risk/","keywords":["espionage","russia","China","World","Cyberattack"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt4f06a0a2f11f2412/698859e3cd1bba0fd36fc291/cyber-attack_karge-tout.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"TIME Video","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/time-video/"}],"articleSection":"World","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt4f06a0a2f11f2412/698859e3cd1bba0fd36fc291/cyber-attack_karge-tout.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"How Hacker Sleuths Found Zhang Changhe in Trail From Myrtle Beach to China","caption":"How Hacker Sleuths Found Zhang Changhe in Trail From Myrtle Beach to China","creditText":"Bloomberg—Bloomberg via Getty Images","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/world/","name":"World"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"/tag/espionage/","name":"espionage"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/3947918/cyberattack-risk/","name":"How Real Is the Threat of a Cyberattack?"}}]}] ```