--- description: The world is becoming increasingly vulnerable to cyberattacks by state-sponsored hackers, NSA deputy director Richard Ledgett warns title: Danger of Cyberattacks Is Growing, NSA Official Warns image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltde624daf83dc76be/698869fff887dc1dbce9308e/gettyimages-450119136.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  * [Business](/section/business/) ## Business Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close * [Tech](/tag/time-section-tech/) ## Tech Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close # Danger of State-Orchestrated Cyberattacks Growing, NSA Official Warns by [Rishi Iyengar](/author/rishi-iyengar/) ## Rishi Iyengar Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Oct 27, 2015 2:45 AM CUT  National Security Agency deputy director Richard Ledgett testifies during a hearing before the Senate (Select) Intelligence Committee on June 5, 2014, on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C. National Security Agency deputy director Richard Ledgett testifies during a hearing before the Senate (Select) Intelligence Committee on June 5, 2014, on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C.Alex Wong—Getty Images by [Rishi Iyengar](/author/rishi-iyengar/) ## Rishi Iyengar Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Oct 27, 2015 2:45 AM CUT The world is becoming increasingly vulnerable to cyberattacks by state-sponsored hackers, NSA deputy director Richard Ledgett warned in an interview with the BBC on Monday. Countries across the globe are perpetrating increasingly malicious and aggressive online warfare against others, Ledgett said, adding that anyone who uses the web could fall victim. “If you are connected to the Internet, you are vulnerable to determined nation-state attackers,” he told the BBC, citing last year’s massive [Sony hack](http://time.com/3612132/sony-hack-north-korea-interview/ "undefined") and a similar incident involving Saudi Aramco in 2012 as examples of highly destructive attacks. “The barrier to entry is going down … and as everybody in the world becomes more connected with computers and information systems, the vulnerabilities are going up,” Ledgett added, saying countries need to identify red lines that can’t be crossed. China and the U.S. have butted heads over cyberattacks recently, with Chinese President Xi Jinping [pledging](http://time.com/4045932/china-seattle-xi-jinping-cybercrime/ "undefined") a harsher crackdown on his country’s hackers during a recent state visit to Washington. [Read more at the BBC](http://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-34641382 "undefined") ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/4088225/cyber-attacks-nsa-richard-ledgett/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/4088225/cyber-attacks-nsa-richard-ledgett/"},"headline":"Danger of State-Orchestrated Cyberattacks Growing, NSA Official Warns","datePublished":"2015-10-27T02:45:15.000Z","dateModified":"2026-04-13T08:06:50.697Z","description":"Countries need to draw red lines that can't be crossed, he says","url":"https://time.com/4088225/cyber-attacks-nsa-richard-ledgett/","keywords":["Tech","NSA","Obama","China","Xi Jinping","Security","Cyber Attacks","Sony hack"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltde624daf83dc76be/698869fff887dc1dbce9308e/gettyimages-450119136.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Rishi Iyengar","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/rishi-iyengar/"}],"articleSection":"Business","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltde624daf83dc76be/698869fff887dc1dbce9308e/gettyimages-450119136.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"Senate Holds Hearing On Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act Reforms","caption":"Senate Holds Hearing On Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act Reforms","creditText":"Alex Wong—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/business/","name":"Business"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"/tag/time-section-tech/","name":"Tech"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/4088225/cyber-attacks-nsa-richard-ledgett/","name":"Danger of State-Orchestrated Cyberattacks Growing, NSA Official Warns"}}]},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"VideoObject","name":"How To Protect Your Selfies from Hackers","description":"A little safety can help save your skin from ending up on 4 Chan.","thumbnailUrl":"https://cdn.jwplayer.com/v2/media/VbTXeRNE/poster.jpg?width=720","uploadDate":"2014-09-03T20:19:14.000Z","contentUrl":"https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/VbTXeRNE.m3u8","embedUrl":"https://time.com/4088225/cyber-attacks-nsa-richard-ledgett/","duration":"PT1M16S","potentialAction":{"@type":"SeekToAction","target":"https://time.com/4088225/cyber-attacks-nsa-richard-ledgett/?jw_start={seek_to_second_number}","startOffset-input":"required name=seek_to_second_number"}}] ```