THREATS REMAIN THREATS

An annual worldwide threats assessment made public by the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI) on Tuesday warned of increasing cyber, technological and military threats from China and Russia, particularly as the COVID-19 pandemic continues.

Skipping a beat: The report was released ahead of hearings later this week set to be held by the House and Senate Intelligence panels to examine the findings of the intelligence community. The worldwide threats report is meant to be released annually, but the Trump administration failed to release a report publicly in 2020, with the last assessment released in early 2019.

Four big players: This year’s report identified China and Russia as well as Iran and North Korea as continuing to pose major threats to national security, zeroing in on competition with China as a particularly challenging threat to the United States.

Following two major cyber espionage attacks involving Russia and China, the assessment stressed that cyberattacks remained an “acute” threat to national security.

“Although an increasing number of countries and nonstate actors have these capabilities, we remain most concerned about Russia, China, Iran, and North Korea,” the report reads. “Many skilled foreign cybercriminals targeting the United States maintain mutually beneficial relationships with these and other countries that offer them safe haven or benefit from their activity.”