US points the finger at China and Russia for cybercrime

The US is pointing the finger directly at China and Russia when it comes to cybercrime and hacking. Intelligence officials pointed the finger at the two countries and accused them of stealing sensitive high-tech data for their own economic gain. The accusation is the most upfront call out that the US has done so far despite the repeated attacks that have been conducted against the US and companies operating in the US.

The officials called the continued hacking attempts a "persistent threat to the US economic security." There was little offered in what to do to stop the attacks though. Washington has urged private corporations to better protect their data. Business Week notes that the intelligence officials reports is meant to highlight the risks of cyber attacks against both the government and private firms.

The US officials are claiming that China and Russia's intelligence services and companies inside the two countries and those related to the governments are responsible for some of the cyber attacks on the US. China still maintains that it is in fact a victim of hacking attacks and doesn't hack other countries. Many of the most successful and damaging attacks against the US have been tied to China on investigation.

[via Business Week]