The nation's top intelligence official says he's not optimistic that the cyber agreement the U.S. struck with China will end Chinese cyber threats in the United States.
President Barack Obama and Chinese President Xi Jinping recently agreed not to conduct or knowingly support cyber theft of trade secrets or competitive economic information.
On Tuesday, Senate Armed Services Committee Chairman John McCain asked Director of National Intelligence James Clapper if the agreement would result in the elimination of cyber attacks from China.
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Clapper says U.S. intelligence analysts will have to watch Chinese behavior.
McCain asked Clapper whether he is "optimistic."
Clapper said, "No."
Also at a hearing on Tuesday, U.S. Deputy Defense Secretary Robert Work told the Senate Armed Services Committee that the U.S. military needs to improve its ability to deter attacks on its computer networks, and is working to make it more costly for U.S. adversaries.
"We are not where we need to be in our deterrent posture," Work told the Senate Armed Services Committee.
Work said three recent attacks, a massive breach of the U.S. Office of Personnel Management, an attack on the unclassified network of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and an earlier attack on Sony Pictures, were carried out by three different state actors, but did not elaborate.
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